Runaway
by 54Viruses
Summary: What is this kid doing in the sewers?
1. Prologue

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Prologue; Runaway

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New York City was no stranger to the sight of kids walking down the street with a large backpack and their faces covered. Runaways come from all over the world to this city thinking that it had something to offer them. Most of them would be caught up in the city's many gangs and turned into hardened criminals, or become victims of gang related crime. It was a shame, but most felt it was not their problem, or that somebody else was working to fix the issue.

So when one kid was seen walking down the street, head bowed so that the hood of their jacket fell over their face and hands tucked in the jacket pockets, nobody paid any mind. The large backpack with the sleeping bag was a blatant sign of someone who was now homeless, it worked like a giant neon sign that screamed 'ignore me!' and the sign worked. No one paid any attention or gave any thought as this small figure turned into an alley, and no one saw this figure pry up a sewer lid and lower their backpack underground before climbing down after it.

Down below street level the backpack was lifted again and the figure trekked down the tunnels as casually as a college student hitchhiking to school.

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	2. Chapter 1 Trespass

I do not own the TMNT or related themes and characters

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Chapter one; Trespass

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Leonardo had spent his entire life in constant threat of discovery and training in the art of ninjitsu.

It was understandable that he and his family would be somewhat paranoid about strangers. Having recently had their home demolished by a madman's robots and attacked not just by the most dangerous gang in New York's east side but by a mysterious clan of ninja did not help him to feel any more willing to let his guard down to strangers. Sure he and his brothers had recently met and befriended a woman they'd rescued, but one woman did not erase the past, nor the facts of the present.

Over the years Leonardo had more or less taken the roll of 'eldest' in his family, despite the impossibility of learning if that were true. As such he tended to be more protective and alert to possible dangers presented to his family.

Such dangers could very well include unknown persons wearing baggy clothing and standing on the second level of his new home. The figure was small, shorter than Leo and maybe about as broad as Master Splinter, anything else was difficult to tell under the loose jeans and over sized black sweat jacket. However, this stranger looked like he was spying on Leonardo's family as they trained below in the dojo, and Leo didn't like that one bit.

Leo grabbed the intruder's shoulder to spin him around and get a good look at his face, but the stranger reacted by grabbing Leo's wrist and despite the weight of a martial artist and a fifty-some-odd pound shell proceeded to throw Leo.

Relying on his training, Leo gripped one of the stranger's hands as he put his legs beneath him, landing on his feet while still holding the stranger. He spun quickly, forcing his opponent to turn or risk dislocating their shoulder or elbow. This resulted in Leo having the stranger's arm pinned behind his back and a little upward force prevented escape.

Leo pushed forward, about to shove the intruder against the wall but the figure kicked his legs up and used the wall as a brace to launch himself off of. This enabled him to jump over Leo's head; freeing himself from what should have been a pin, breaking Leo's grip on his arm and nearly catching Leo in a choke hold. Before the intruder could catch him Leo dropped into a simple sweep. The figure tried to dodge, but that only resulted in him falling backwards instead of to the side, a fall that landed just beyond the ledge of the second level. Before Leo could grab him or give a shout of warning the stranger fell.

Surprisingly enough, the figure landed on his feet, only to be knocked to the floor by a very angry rat. For a moment the figure lay on the floor face down. When Master Splinter tapped him firmly on the side with his walking stick the stranger rolled over. As he did so the hood of his jacket fell back revealing a head and face covered in black fur with pointed ears larger than Master Splinter's and distinctly feline facial characteristics.

Shock kept the mutants in the lair silent until Mikey finally managed, "He's a mutant dog!"

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No Mikey... no.

Reviews? Please?


	3. Chapter 2 Stiff Introductions

I do not own the TMNT

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Chapter two; Stiff Introductions

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"Who are you and what are you doing in our home!" Master Splinter demanded of the stranger. Although he was as curious about this strange new mutant as any of his sons Master Splinter held his walking stick aimed at the stranger's throat. It was clear from the stranger's reactions that he understood the danger he was in.

When the stranger didn't answer Master Splinter moved the stick closer to the intruder's throat. "Who are you?" He repeated.

Despite his position on the floor the stranger managed to cringe slightly away from the walking stick, "Kit! Kitrian! My name is Kitrian!"

Behind Master Splinter Mikey giggled, "That sounds like a girl's name."

The stranger's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Of course it's a girl's name! I'm a girl!" One couldn't really blame Mikey though; there was nothing about this stranger that was even vaguely feminine.

The stick tapped her shoulder slightly and immediately drew Kitrian's attention back to the rat master. "What are you doing in our home?" Master Splinter repeated.

"I was exploring and I heard voices coming from one of the tunnels." Kitrian explained quickly, "I followed them through a hole and ended up here."

Leo jumped down from the second level, "So what were you doing spying on us?"

"I wasn't spying! Well…yeah I guess I was but, not _spying_ spying!"

"I think she's a little messed up in the head." Raph muttered.

"You don't make a whole lot more sense when Master Splinter's angry with you." Donnie whispered back.

"If you were just wandering the tunnels why did you fight when I tried to confront you?" Leo asked the intruder.

"Confront me?" Kitrian kept an eye on Master Splinter and his stick but turned her head to glare at Leo. "You grabbed me and I defended myself!"

Leo started to reply but he was interrupted with a stern, "Enough!"

Master Splinter moved his stick with this command and instantly had Kitrian's full nervous attention. She stiffened as he placed the tip of his walking stick under her chin to hold her gaze. The lair was dead silent as black eyes searched black eyes. Master Splinter's gaze was focused and thoughtful, yet cautious. Kitrian's gaze was guarded and alert.

Slowly Master Splinter moved his walking stick and rested it in its habitual position at his side. With a slight nod he spoke. "Perhaps it would be better if we introduced ourselves whilst you were not on the floor." He suggested calmly.

Kitrian blinked and pushed herself up, slowly rising to her feet. Her posture remained slightly defensive but she did not cower nor show any other outright signs of fear. The turtles stepped back to give the strange mutant space but the tension in the room seemed to have decreased now that their teacher was being civil with the stranger.

Master Splinter looked curious, "How old are you, Kitrian?"

The edges of Kit's mouth turned down slightly but she answered truthfully. "Thirteen."

Raph blinked. "But she's just a kid!" He whispered. Kitrian's ears twitched toward him and she sent a cold glare in his direction. The look he return was similar but more of a heated challenge; fire rather than ice.

The old rat cleared his throat, breaking the silent exchange of hostilities. "Perhaps it would be best if we talked. Learning more about each other could prove helpful."

Kitrian glanced around the room at the turtles before returning her focus on the rat. "Sorry but I can't; I've got to go." She excused herself. When she took a step back she seemed to expect someone to stop her. No one did so she turned and hurried to a fire escape that the turtles had rigged to serve as stairs. She quickly climbed these and hurried from the lair.

"Well…" Mikey quipped after a minute. "She seems nice."

Raph gave his brother a wilting look. "Nice? I wouldn't be surprised if she was rabid or somethin'!" This comment seemed to ignite a round of discussion amongst the brothers.

Master Splinter stood aside from them pondering this mysterious stranger, and what her existence could mean.

* * *

Well… ain't Kit the friendly type?

Yes the "I'll introduce a new character into the TMNT universe!" bit is old. Hopefully this version isn't so cliché'. Those of you who are familiar with my works are already familiar with Kit; this is how she met the turtles and came to live with them as requested by huge-ninjalara-fan… again- an old plot but work with me here!

No romance ahead- that just cut out the majority of OC plots didn't it?


	4. Chapter 3 Traces

I do not own the TMNT

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Chapter three; Traces

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"…Ya mean ya ain't sure."

Donatello frowned as he looked the map over once more. "To say that the city prints of the underground tunnels are less than complete was an understatement when they were built, It's been years so there is no way to find an accurate map and until I get the chance to-"

"Don." Leo interrupted.

Donnie looked startled for a moment before shrugging sheepishly. "No, I'm not sure. But there's a good chance that there will be a quick route to the surface right around this…"

"Dead end." Mikey pointed out.

Groaning, Donnie re-consulted his maps. The sewers were indeed a maze, even having grown up down here there were areas the brothers were unfamiliar with… such as the area their new lair was located in. Today's goal was to find a much faster route to the surface for scavenging; under strict orders not to step foot on the surface of course. Donnie had found a possible route, but as Mikey had pointed out the route had proven to be useless. While their resident genius tried to find another potential option the others either tried to read over his shoulder or they –Mikey- wandered back into the tunnels and looked for something to entertain themselves with.

While Raph and Leo started bickering about differing routes Mikey looked around the tunnel and noticed some of the mud on the bottom had been disturbed by a small foot not belonging to a turtle or a rat. In fact, the owner of this foot wore shoes but the impression was different than what humans left.

Curious, Mikey followed the track. It looked like the owner had tried to stay out of the mud for the most part, but hadn't been trained in stealth so they left a pretty clear path. Mikey followed this path a short ways until it vanished at what looked like another dead end. Looking up however, Mikey saw a series of pipes that led to a hole in the ceiling of the tunnel. Mikey grinned and hurried back to tell his brothers.

* * *

Turned out the owner of the shoed feet knew a nearly direct route to the surface, one most humans would never try. It wasn't long before they followed the trail to a sewer lid leading to an alley.

"So, where are we?" Raph grouched, although his eyes seemed focused on the manhole cover overhead. It was no secret that he was probably the most strongly tempted to break Master Splinter's rule against going topside, but to say that he was the only one looking for an excuse wouldn't be true.

Donnie glanced around the tunnel until he saw some lettering painted on the tunnel wall. "I'd say we're about a block east of Lincoln Park."

"So, did we find what we were looking for?" Mikey grinned.

Leo shook his head. "Someone else was using this route. Unless we know who and how often it's not safe."

Raph stepped forward with one of those looks. "Leo, those tracks are tiny, whoever has got to be tiny, it's probably just that cat girl and what's she going to do?"

"Whoever it is clearly feels comfortable enough to go to the surface, and any surface activity is a danger." Leo replied evenly. He had that uncomfortable but stubborn look he got in his eye whenever he had to take a leadership position.

"Or you're just scared." Raph taunted.

"Dudes?" Mikey called down before Leo could answer. The turtles looked up to see he'd already climbed the ladder to the manhole. "Somebody's up there."

In no time all four brothers were crowding the same rung of the ladder staring out the loosened manhole cover.

"Dragons." Raph growled.

"And a kid." Mikey added.

Donnie frowned. "I think we know that kid." In the alley several purple dragons were harassing a familiar figure in an equally familiar hooded sweat jacket. The figure didn't even come up to most of the gang member's shoulders. None of the Dragons were any less than twice as wide as how much the jacket material rested, much less how small the jacket's wearer was underneath.

The Dragons closed in on the figure; taunting and laughing. "Think she'll need any help?" Mikey asked.

One of the gang members stepped forward; he grabbed her jacket and easily lifted her off the ground.

"Yeah." Leo, Don and Raph chorused.

The figure grabbed the punks wrist; exposing her fur-covered hands. Before the guy could figure out what was happening she'd kicked him halfway across the alley, tearing her sweat jacket in the process.

"Maybe." Don amended.

The other gang members –at least five- jumped her. "Still yeah." Raph corrected as he shoved Leo up through the manhole. The turtles quickly leapt to the girl's aid. They each grabbed one, Raph gladly took two. Due to the gang member's inexperience and reliance on strength rather than skill it was hardly a fight and the Purple Dragon were on the ground before the guys even got a chance for a proper warm-up.

Leo offered the girl a hand but she stood up without acknowledging it. "I had that under control." Kitrian grumbled.

"Not unless you were planning to get beat up, then you had them right where you wanted." Mikey quipped.

After pulling her hood back Kit glared at him. "I didn't need your help." She insisted. That said she turned and grabbed a backpack that had been dropped behind a dumpster before marching back to the sewer entrance.

"Now wait one minute." Raph grabbed her arm roughly as she passed.

In an instant Kitrian stiffened; sucking a breath through her teeth before spinning and delivering a swift kick to Raphael's plastron. Surprised by her speed and force Raph released her arm and took a few steps back to steady himself. Kit had dropped into the sewers and was likely running away from them before Raph had fully recovered.

"Well." Donnie spoke up. "I guess that's her way of saying thanks."

Neither Raph nor Leo answered. They were both looking at the hand Raph had grabbed Kitrian with.

Dark green skin on Raph's palm was contrasted by a smear of fresh red blood.

* * *

Kit walked through the tunnels trying not to cradle her arm.

First those ridiculous sharp-toothed rat-eating robot things, then those idiot punks in the alley and now those annoying turtles. It was hard enough keeping her injuries from getting infected down here without the cuts getting re-opened every day!

Grumbling under her breath, Kit walked down a blocked off tunnel. After pushing aside a loose board she pushed her backpack through before following it. In the room beyond dust floated in the air from where the backpack had fallen to the floor. The room that had been boarded off was an old rest stop for construction workers. Three of the walls held a functioning sink and shower head as well as several bolts where Kit assumed there used to be beds and stuff. Now there was just a sleeping bag with a couple of worn blankets next to the few things she had brought with her to this city.

Kit picked up the backpack and dug through it as she went further into the room. She'd been scavenging in alleys for anything she might need, using her baggy clothing to disguise her stranger features. So far her biggest find had been a dumpster behind an old camping store where damaged or expired camping goods were tossed. This was where she'd found some first aid supplies and food that wouldn't spoil in the sewers.

As Kit walked to the sink she pulled out an opaque bottle of antiseptic and some clean bandages. She then dropped the bag again and after setting the bandages and disinfectant on the sink she pulled her hooded jacket off. Underneath she wore a faded tan t-shirt advertising "Cheyenne Frontier Days! The Daddy of 'em all!" On one arm some old bandages hung loose, matted with dried blood and reddening with fresh blood.

Kit removed the old bandages, dropping them to the floor. She then carefully set to work cleaning and re-bandaging several cuts of varying length and depth, trying to keep the short black fur on her hands and arms out of the wounds. After dabbing each cut with a cloth soaked in disinfectant Kit wrapped the arm in clean gauze and tied the ends off as tightly as possible considering the awkward location of the wounds. Once she was finished Kit flexed her arm to make sure she could still move it.

She then took a slow breath before shouting; "HYA!" and delivering a surprise attack to the owner of a soft pair of feet trying to sneak up behind her. Her fist slapped into an open palm belonging to one of the turtles; the blue banded one.

"Nice punch." He commented lightly. "Nasty cuts though."

Kit yanked her hand back, keeping her posture defensive without outright taking a stance. She glared at him, trying to recall his name and wondering what he thought he was doing here. "What do you want?" Her words were hard as ice, as was the particular look of her eyes.

Leo held up his hands as if in surrender, "Whoa, I just came to see if you were all right. You kind of left some blood behind and we were worried there was enough to be concerned about."

"It's nothing, just a scratch. Now would you mind? Most folks don't like near people trying to sneak up on them." Her voice had a roughness to it that threatened to growl. "Once was bad enough, this is twice now."

Leo frowned. "That was different, you snuck into our home."

"And now you've returned the favor." She replied evenly. "Now, would you mind?" Kit waved her hand to the boards at the entrance to the rest area.

Holding up his hands as if in surrender, Leo started to leave. "Alright, I just wanted to make sure you were alright." He insisted. "Try not to get yourself killed okay?" He managed a slight smile before pushing aside another loose board and slipping silently out into the sewers.

Behind him Kit held her defensive posture for several more seconds before relaxing. As she turned to start cleaning up the used first aid supplies her ears started to droop and for a breath she gave into the temptation to clutch her throbbing arm. "I'll try." She muttered.


	5. Chapter 4 Shadows

I do not own the TMNT

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Chapter four; Shadows

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Michelangelo felt the need! The need for…

Okay the saying was way too old but all to true. He wanted to feel the stale sewer air tugging at his mask tales and the familiar clacking of his skateboard's wheels against the rough concrete seams in the tunnels, the occasional light flashing overhead and the gurgle of the pipes. Sure Tony Hawk would turn his nose up as such poor boarding turf but it was all Mikey had! He needed to get to it, spin his wheels!

Preferably before Master Splinter found out that he hadn't put _anything_ in his room in any pretense of order.

He couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he zipped along a curved tunnel, delighting in the sensation of his body defying gravity and going parallel to the ground high overhead. Here he was having a blast, and Raphie was probably back at the lair sorting socks or whatever was in his pile of junk.

As the tunnel he was travelling sloped downward Mikey's chuckled grew into a full out. "YEAH-HAH!" Before quickly morphing into a panicked scream. "LOOK OUT!" He tilted back on his board, trying to lose some forward inertia before crashing into the only sewer mutant not in his family.

"GAH!" The crash resounded with though force that the city dwellers must have noticed some shaking below their feet.

Mikey landed hard on his carapace, the concrete beneath him scraping slightly as he rotated for a moment. As soon as he regained his bearings Mikey jumped to his feet and looked around. Nearby Kit lay against the side of the tunnel wall with her legs sprawled above her and a blank look on her face. "Oh, dude!" He hurried over to her, not even caring that his board lay two feet away from him… and six feet and at least one wheel was still rolling down the tunnel.

Dropping to his knees beside Kit, Mikey tried to remember what Donnie did whenever he or one of their brothers was seriously hurt. _Okay… um… first thing he'd… um…_, "Dude, are you okay?" Mikey asked, still barely containing his panic.

Kit blinked and focused on him, her eyes dully glowing in the dimly lit tunnel. Opening her mouth she asked slowly, "'Dude'? Haven't heard that one in a while." Slowly she shifted her weight so that her legs could slide to the bottom of the tunnel and she could stand.

Hovering nearby, Mikey wasn't sure whether he should help or not. "Are you okay? I mean, I'm a fat, shelled turtle and you're… not."

His concern was rewarded with a look of mild amusement as Kit stood and straightened her jacket. Something about her pants caught her attention and she fiddled with one of the pant legs before seeming satisfied with it. "Getting hit by a skater is hardly the worst thing I've survived." She commented dryly.

"Of course not! I just… uh… you're not mad?"

His confusion elicited a similar response from the cat. "Mad? What for? It's not like anyone expects there to be anyone else walking in the sewers."

"Okay, point." Mikey admitted. "But I still crashed into you."

Kit shrugged and crouched down to pick up one of the axles from Mikey's late skateboard. "Not like you're the first." She said with a touch of irony Mikey couldn't place.

Together they gathered the pieces of Mikey's board. Although Kit didn't say much, she tolerated it when Mikey started to chatter idly about different tricks he was working on and how it was hard to get the hang of some of them on rough concrete and how their new lair had a much smoother floor and…

Kit retrieved Mikey's runaway wheel and once he was sure he had all the important and hard to replace parts the two of them headed in the general direction of the lair. Again, Kit didn't have to say anything while Mikey elaborated on the finer points of a kick flip.

They came close to a boarded up hole in the wall with a few cracks of light coming through it. "Donnie's been working on some ideas for that, he says it'll be really cool. Mikey explained.

His walking companion didn't look convinced, but decided to take his word for it. "Look, sorry about crashing into you. I'll be more careful and I can almost guarantee it won't happen again!" Mikey explained cheerfully.

"Forget about it, it'll take a lot more than that to keep me down." Kit assured him, the side of her mouth quirking up into a mild smirk. She jerked a thumb down one of the adjoining tunnels. "I'd better be going. To be honest; I was lost so thanks for running into me." Her comment received a grin.

Mikey arranged the pile of scraps in his arms so that he would have a free hand to open the temporary hatch Donnie had set up. Before reaching for the rope that was being used as a hidden handle he looked up in time to see Kit's dark silhouette fade into the shadows. "Wait!" He called, suddenly struck by an idea.

A moment later two points of light came into view as she turned around. Where she was standing Mikey could barely make out the slight change in color between the black jacket she still wore and the faded jeans underneath and he wasn't sure but he thought he saw a shady pale spot just between and above her eyes –right over the patch of white on her forehead. It made for a very mysterious image, much like the person it belonged to. "Um… do you like cake?" He asked.

It was impossible to be sure but he thought he saw the glowing eyes flinch. "Sorry, can't eat cake." She told him, sounding sincere.

"Oh… then do you… um… do you like pizza?" He asked.

The lights disappeared and Mikey was _positive_ he heard her chuckle. The lights reappeared and bobbed once. "Yes, I like pizza."

"Great!" Mikey almost pumped his fist into the air, "Cause I know the best delivery in the city, so were having pizza tomorrow and I fully expect you to be there!"

His words made the glowing eyes narrow, probably a squint. "I don't know… I think I kind of got off on the wrong foot with your brothers… especially Leo and Raph."

"No problem! If they can forgive me for tying their masks together during meditation time, they'll get over a bad first… and second impression." Mikey assured her excitedly. He wasn't sure but he thought he heard her mutter something about a third impression. "Anyway, there's no way to patch things up if we don't see you! So tomorrow right? I'll order the pizzas as seven and see you then right?" He held his breath for an answer. The twin lights rocked back and forth slightly and there was the faint sound of rubber soles on concrete as she shifted uncomfortably. "You can pick your favorite toppings!" He tried to sweeten the deal.

"You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?" Kit asked.

"Nope!"

The lights blinked and Mikey was sure he could recognize it as Kit rolled her eyes. "Fine, but I'll leave the toppings to you, you're the expert."

This time he did pump his fist in the air. "Sweet! So tomorrow at seven right?"

"Right."

"You'll be there?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"_**Re-e-eally**_?"

"YES! I promise!"


	6. Chapter 5 Punctuality

I do not own the TMNT

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Chapter five; Punctuality

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3:08 AM

Her clothes made a disgusting sound as she peeled them away from her fur and if her nose hadn't been plugged by sheer filth for so long she might have noticed the stench get worse as she wrung out first her jacket, then her shirt and finally her pants onto the floor of the pipe before pushing them through the opening to the rest area.

After following the clothes she barely bothered to make sure the loose board slid back into place behind her before hurrying to the shower. With one hand she grabbed a bar of soap and with the other she turned the water on full blast, not even caring that the temperature was icy cold as she started scrubbing as hard as she could.

The bandages had come off with the sweat jacket, but she barely noticed that the fluid draining from her arm wasn't red…

* * *

6:54 PM

"Raph, I'm not sure going to your room and sulking is quite what Master Splinter had in mind when he ordered hospitality." Donnie commented as his brother actually took the stairs of the fire escape they had set up rather than just jumping up on his own.

After Mikey's announcement the night before that he had invited Kit for dinner –and that she had accepted- the reactions had been initially reluctant. Leo and Donnie had eventually warmed to the idea, and Master Splinter considered it a good opportunity to make an ally out of this strange mutant.

Raph never warmed up to anything he wasn't allowed to beat out of existence. So while Master Splinter had ordered that all be on their best behavior Raphael made it clear his idea of best behavior would be sulking and growling.

Now that the hour of their guest's arrival was coming Michelangelo was wired. He'd made snacks to be eaten before and after the arrival of the pizza and had spent most of the previous night and day planning toppings. Earlier that morning he'd won a match against Don by suddenly blurting out, "Tuna and squid? Nah." And dropping the genius's focus long enough to beat him.

Mikey glanced at the clock as he set out some drinks and smiled, ready with time to spare.

* * *

7:32 PM

Raphael came out of his room long enough to grab some of the snacks off the table and grouch something about not being surprised. Mikey shot him a rare glare before standing up. "She'll be here in no time. I'll go ahead and order the pizza."

Leo shrugged as he fingered through the DVD's that had survived the destruction of their previous lair and the ones that Mikey had scrounged up since then. "I get the feeling she's new to the sewers. Most likely she's lost somewhere trying to figure out how to find us." He said, sounding sincere enough to comfort his increasingly antsy brother. Donatello gave him a look as he grabbed a soda for himself, he wasn't entirely convinced by Leo's theory.

* * *

7: 59 PM

Donnie had volunteered to go collect the pizza when Mikey made it clear he wanted to wait there for Kit. He was convinced she would have a perfectly logical or at least interesting reason for being an entire hour lat. Maybe her watch was on a different time zone? Or perhaps she had encountered the sewer beast from Sewer Sphigmo eight; Encounter under Broadway.

Whatever the reason was, he was clearly more reserved than his typical hyperactive self as he watched the clock click over to the new hour.

Leo watched Mikey glancing between the main entrance, the tunnel Kit had first appeared in and the clock with a dedication and urgency usually only reserved to Donatello during a highly delicate and critical experiment… the kind he was no longer permitted to perform during late hours, or Master Splinter's stories due to random explosions.

As the clock slowly counted the minutes past the hour Leo sighed and tried to come up with a good speech to tell a brother who'd just been seriously let down.

Then he would join Raph in plotting the sort of revenge that would truly befit someone who would dare to even dream of breaking a promise to Mikey.

* * *

8:46

"The pizza's cold and she still ain't here." Raph announced this much less bluntly than he might have if Mikey's feelings weren't so clearly on the line.

Slowly Leo sat beside Mikey on the couch. He still wasn't sure just what to say but Mikey still managed to interrupt him. "She said she would come. She _promised_." Mikey insisted. Leo was a little surprised to hear Mikey still defending her, but then again, it was _Mikey_.

Still trying to arrange his thoughts into words he felt Master Splinter could convey so much better, Leonardo found himself watching his brother closely, as if to glean the great speech that would make everything better. What he saw wasn't hurt, or anger, or a grudge, nor was it even closely guarded naivety.

Michelangelo was scared; and not for himself.

He was on his feet almost before he knew what he was going to say. "You know, I'll go see what's keeping her." Raphael and Donatello both stared at Leo like he'd lost his blazing mind.

Mikey smiled gratefully. "Thanks Leo." Leo nodded, still somewhat surprised at his own reaction. Why was he going to go to any effort for someone who had practically chased him away the last time he'd shown concern?

Because Mikey was worried. That was good enough for Leo. "I'll be back soon." He called as he headed out.

"Don't expect anyone to be with him." Raph grunted sourly, just the faintest glint of concern in his eyes when he glanced at Mikey.


	7. Chapter 6 The Reason

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter six; The Reason

* * *

Leo tucked his thumbs into his belt and waited impatiently. He couldn't help but feel a little silly knocking on a barricade, but it served as a threshold to Kit's residence. The last time he'd been here he'd disregarded the courtesy of knocking and had been met with nothing short of an icy dismissal. He could care less what reaction he got out of her considering what she had done to Mikey, but if she had a good reason he couldn't just bust the door down and yell at her…

… Tempting as the idea may be…

As he waited Leo rocked back on his heels and glanced down the tunnel on either side of him. He didn't know what, but something stank. The tunnel was dry and the last time Leo had been here the air had been slightly stale, but not rank. In fact, the scent was like Mikey the time he'd fallen into a clogged tunnel and had come out covered in old sewage.

Ignoring the scent Leo knocked again on the barricade, not sure how long proper decorum insisted he wait but knowing he'd have to overstay his welcome before he had the courage to return to the lair and face his disappointed brother or storm in and further alienate this mutant Mikey was trying to befriend.

When he leaned over to get another good solid rap on the wood Leo was again hit with the strong scent of old sewage. Something about the scent was bothering him. "Kit? Are you in there?" Leo called. He hated announcing his presence like this, first knocking and now calling, but little brothers and his own gut called for it.

After being met once more with silence Leo determined to go in. He slid the loose board aside without a sound, but continued to announce himself as he stepped through the tight opening. "Kit? Mikey sent me…" Beside the barricade a pile of sopping wet clothing explained the smell. Pools of brown water had dripped off of the pile but by the brown residue around the puddles Leo could see that they'd been sitting there several hours at least. "Kit?"

Unconsciously Leo gripped the hilt of one of his katana. At first glance the place looked alright; cleaner and a little more stocked than the last time he'd been here, no serious threats. Further investigation revealed a small figure beneath the blankets in the corner. Leo shook his head, had she really just fallen asleep? Doubtful, even Raph wouldn't have slept through Leo's pounding.

Leo released his katana and stepped closer to the bedding. "Kit? Hey Kit, Mike- _we've_ been worried about you… are you okay?" By now Leo was close enough to reach out and pull the blankets back slightly. Kit rested facing the wall with her head on a pillow. Despite Leo's talking to her she didn't so much as flick an ear, something that Master Splinter did whenever he heard a new sound. Carefully Leo reached out to try and shake her awake, if she threw a fit it couldn't be any worse than Raph.

No sooner had Leo's hand touched the shoulder of the shirt Kit wore than he pulled his hand back. Even through the cloth her body temperature was extremely high. "Ah shell, Kit! Hey Kit!" Quickly Leo rolled her onto her back and tried to shake her gently, "Come on, I need you to wake up. Kit!" The smaller mutant didn't stir.

Pulling the blankets back further in order to check her breathing Leo was shocked to see the condition of her arm. The cuts he had seen her carefully clean and bandage with so much precision and attention were now grossly swollen and obviously infected. Carefully Leo placed his hand below the injury, heat radiated to his hand before he even touched her fur. He moved his hand to her other arm and could feel the same heat.

"Looks like Mikey was right." Leo told her as he quickly lifted Kit by her shoulders and used the blanket he had just removed to wrap her before picking her up. "I'm going to have Donnie take a look at you, there's no way I can leave you out here alone."

The only response he got was a mumbled and confused, "…Jess?..."


	8. Chapter 7 Medical Emergency

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter seven; Medical Emergency

* * *

"Don! I need a medic!" Donatello nearly choked on the pizza he'd been sneaking when he heard Leo's voice shouting at him. He quickly dropped the rest of the slice and turned to see Leo jump down from the tunnel he'd first found Kit in.

When he landed Leo crouched much lower than he would have otherwise to ease the landing on the bundle he was carrying in his arms. Donnie hurried over and blinked when he saw who Leo was carrying. "What happened?" He demanded.

"I found her unconscious at her place. She's sick and her arm doesn't look good." Leo reported quickly.

"What…?" Behind them Mikey was coming out of the kitchen with more chips to replace the bowl he had finished off himself. "Is that…?"

"Your bunk." Donnie ordered. He led the way as Leo hurried to follow him. Once in the room they shared Leo carefully lay Kit on his bunk as Donnie started pulling back the blanket to inspect his patient.

Her fur radiated heat, but Donnie knew that as much heat as what was escaping still more was being held in, "Ice packs, lots of them, get Mikey to help." He ordered. Without a word Leo left.

He held the back of his hand above her nose and mouth. Her breathing was forced, short and deep. The air she exhaled was hot enough that by the time Donnie pulled his hand away the back had a thin sheen of sweat on it. Her eyes were partially open, completely sightless and badly bloodshot. When Don checked her ears he could see the major vessels in her ears and the heat from them was as intense as her breath. Checking her pulse revealed it to be rapid and abnormally strong.

Donnie pulled back the blanket to check her arm. The one Raph had grabbed in the alley was obviously the injured one, the blanket and shirt next to the injured site had to be carefully peeled away and Donnie could see right away that the infection was severe enough that if not treated quickly she could easily loose the arm…

… if not everything.

* * *

Donatello didn't see the girl standing behind him.

Had he known he probably would have yelled for one of his brothers to deal with her until he was done treating Kit. If the situation weren't so serious he would have been reduced to a stuttering and painfully shy wreck. But in any situation he couldn't see her, because she wasn't really there.

She was a pretty young lady with the classic blond hair, blue eyed features reminiscent of the classic "all American" girl. Most peculiar about her was how clean she was for someone standing in a hidden cavern reachable only by the sewers. This girl stood behind Donatello looking concerned, and a little annoyed.

"This is not what I had in mind when you said you would be 'fine', Kit." She chastised.

"Sorry." Kit muttered. Her voice was faint, slurred and barely more than a hitch in her breathing, but the blond seemed to understand.

"The least you could have done was tell me where you were going."

When Kit didn't respond the blond grew agitated. "Kit? Hey, Kit I need you to hang in there. These guys will help you, I'm sure of it."

* * *

"Here, Mikey's trying to get some more but there isn't much available down here." Leo explained as he handed Donnie several small bags of ice.

"Then fill the tub with cold water, we have to get her temperature down before it kills her." Donnie directed. "Then ask Master Splinter what he has that might treat infections and fevers."

"Right."

Leo started out the door followed by Donnie's voice calling, "And get Raph to check what antibiotics we have!" After issuing these orders Donnie placed the icepacks where they would do the most good; behind her neck, on her abdomen and groin, under her knees and on the shoulder over the injured arm. The last pack he opened and started applying the ice directly to the fur on her forehead and behind her ears.

As he waited for Leo to get back Donnie bit his lip and watched the ice melt before his very eyes. They would need more to treat this than they had… April might be able to help, she seemed eager enough to help where she could, but would it be too much to ask for medical supplies for a stranger?

On the bed Kit weakly tried to shake her head, barely managing more movement than the shivering that shuddered over her entire body. "...c'ld..." She murmured, "...ts c'ld Jess..."


	9. Chapter 8 Medical Treatment

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter eight; Medical Trickery

* * *

"April, thank you, I owe you big time."

"_Don, it's no problem, and I still owe _you _for saving _me_, remember_?"

"No, that really wasn't-"

"_Enough! Don't mention it! Call me when your friend is feeling better, okay_?"

"Alright April." Donnie agreed. They ended the call and Donnie turned back to his patient. Kit was still on Leo's bunk due to it's being the only real bed at ground level not belonging to an honored sensei. Thanks to April and resources Donnie figured it was best not to ask about, they now had much more ice on hand as well as an IV setup with bags of saline solution and antibiotics that were good for both human and feline treatment.

Kit's arm had been cleaned up and treated until the swelling had gone down and the inflammatory agents retarding the healing process were now cleaned out. It would be a few days before Donnie would know if the skin was strong enough for stitches to completely close the wounds. Although Kit still hadn't woken up, since the cold water bath and the start of antibiotics she seemed to have relaxed some. Over the previous night and day her temperature had dropped a few degrees and the muttering had stopped. Rather than merely unconscious it now seemed that she was sleeping.

Which only left one real problem, a problem Leo was clearly wondering about from where he stood in the corner. "Don, any idea how this happened?" He used that tone that he sometimes got, the one that made Raph think Leo wanted to be the leader or something.

"I really don't know." Donnie pulled the blankets up a little higher over Kit, careful to jostle her injured arm or dislodge the IV from her good arm. "Mikey says she was fine when he last saw her, and that was just yesterday afternoon." He adjusted the wet cloth across her forehead. "The only thing I can think of is something happened to contaminate her arm so badly that her immune system didn't stand a chance." For a moment Donnie paused, frowning, "Or her immune system may not be that strong in the first place." He considered.

"Could this have anything to do with the clothes I found?"

Turning, Donnie fixed his brother with a slightly accusing look, "What clothes?"

Leo hadn't realized he'd left that detail out. "I found a pile of clothes at her place. They stank of raw sewage."

Donnie turned back to Kit. Considering how they had never encountered any other mutants in the sewers before, it was probably safe to assume she was new to these parts, and considering how maze like the tunnels were, getting lost was almost guaranteed. "She might have fallen into one of the worse tunnels. That would explain a lot." He hypothesized.

Leo nodded. "How long will it take for her to recover?"

"Well," Donatello absently tapped his beak while he thought, "It'll take a little longer for her fever to completely break, and maybe a day or two after that for her to wake up…" His tone shifted slightly, not really a change in emotion so much as no longer actively addressing Leo. Leo didn't mind, he just listened carefully and waited for Donnie to remember that he wasn't in his lab talking to himself. "After that she'll probably be exhausted for a day or two and then I'd recommend rest for at least a week… we might need to set up another bed somewhere. After being let up from bed rest I'll need to set up some physical therapy to recover any muscle loss that occurred from the localized infection in her arm. I'll have to wait until then to find out exactly how much damage was done and estimate how long it will take for her to recover based on that so-"

"Don?" Leo interrupted.

Donnie blinked and looked up at him, "Yes?"

"Minimal estimate please?"

"About a month."

Leo frowned and glanced down at the mutant on the bed. "Somehow, I don't think she'll be happy to hear that."

"We can't let her go back." Donnie insisted. "Even if she is able to walk back to her place under her own power there's a chance the infection won't be irradiated and it could flare up again!"

Leo considered. The chance of Kit wanting to stay was minimal, the chance of Donnie turning into a nervous wreck if she did go back to her place was high… not to mention how Mikey would react. "So… any ideas?" He asked

Donatello started to respond, stopped, and froze, pondering. A few seconds were required but he eventually came up with an idea. "It's a long shot that she'll believe us." He said, "But what if…"


	10. Chapter 9 Wakey Wakey

I do not own the TMNT

In case anyone is sensitive to the word; I use the word 'crotch' in this chapter. It's referring to the seam of pants so if anyone finds it offensive please let me know and give me an alternative way to describe it.

* * *

Chapter nine; Wakey Wakey

* * *

The sludge at the bottom of the tunnels sucked at Kit's bare feet, but she forced herself to pretend it was just like the mud at the bottom of the ditch back home. They both had the same consistency and feel, this mud didn't even come with treacherous broken glass or grouchy biting ducks. So long as she didn't think about why it was sludge and not mud; Kit was sure she'd be okay.

Running over the sludge was ice cold sewer water. The current pulled at her feet and danced around her ankles. Kit fought it, stubbornly insisting on going the way she wanted to go. Despite her traveling uphill the water seemed to get deeper as she walked. Soon Kit had to brace her hand against the wall with each step as the water easily lapped up to her knees, tugging insistently at her legs and soaking her jeans to the crotch in sewer water

Kit took another step and the water gleefully dragged her foot through the sludge at the bottom, nearly dumping her. Quickly Kit scrambled for purchase on the damp sewer wall before barely regaining her balance and pressing onward.

She didn't know where she was going. On part of her mind told her home. More than anything she wanted to go home. But another part of her mind scoffed; she couldn't go home anymore and it had been her choice! If it had been her choice couldn't she change her mind? Her mother had to be worried sick.

By now the water sloshed well over her knees with each step and the bottom of her jacket was beginning to pull water from her pants. Beneath her clothing Kit was mildly aware that she should be feeling the water soaking her fur, especially with how aware she was of her wet clothing. Like a programming skipping over a bad circuit this thought was lost and Kit pressed onward.

The rest stop. That was right; she had to get to the rest stop. Jessica would be waiting for her.

No, that was absurd; Jessica was still in Wyoming, how could she know that Kit was in New York, much less what tunnel to find her in?

Maybe Mikey told her.

The water sloshed up over Kit's waist as she suddenly remembered her promise. She said she would be there, seven o' clock. _Promised_.

Desperation seized her and she stopped. Looking around the tunnel Kit tried to find a ladder or something so that she could get out, quickly. Her moment's distraction was all that the water had been waiting for and suddenly Kit's feet slid through the sludge, dropping her into the current.

Once her head dropped below the water everything suddenly got quiet. Instead of stinky murky sewer water it was clean and blue with a point of light high overhead. Before she could register the unlikelihood of this or the strangeness of being able to breathe under water Kit woke up.

For a moment she lay still and quiet, gathering as much information on her surroundings as possible.

She lay on a mattress. It smelled faintly of somebody else, not strong enough to actually be theirs though. A thick blanket covered her and helped to ease the discomfort that seemed to lurk in every muscle of her body. Her injured arm throbbed with a pain much deeper than she remembered and her good arm…

… her good arm had a needle in it.

Kit cracked her eyes and looked around to make sure nobody was nearby before sitting up in the bed, barely taking notice of the strange stone walls. She pulled her hand out from under the covers and glared at the tape holding the catheter in her skin. The catheter was attached to a tube that led to an IV stand beside the bed. At first Kit had every intention of pulling the needle right out. This plan was stalled when she found her injured arm required a great deal of effort to move at all.

She was just considering the option of removing the offending tube and needle with her teeth when Donatello walked into the room.

Donatello was surprised to find Kit not only awake, but sitting up and glaring at the tube in her hand like she was about to challenge it to mortal combat. When she looked over to him he was less impressed as he noticed how completely drained she looked. Her ears drooped noticeably and her entire expression looked like she was about two seconds from going back to sleep.

Instead she sat up a little further in the bed. "You should be resting." Donnie told her, she looked like she needed it.

His comment was met with a look that seemed to ask _seriously? Are you kidding me?_ "What am I doing here?" She asked slowly.

"You succumbed to a severe systemic infection. When you didn't show up for Mikey's party he started to worry and Leo went to check on you." Donnie explained carefully. "Do you know what made you get sick so fast?"

Kit blinked, her eyes stayed closed for just a moment longer than necessary and Don was sure he saw her head start to nod before she opened them again. "I fell into some kind of drain." She frowned and shook her head. "But that was this morning, there's no way I slept that late. What time is it?"

It took Donnie a second to realize her confusion. "Kit, I'm not sure you understand. You've been unconscious or asleep for three days."

A moment passed where Kit just stared at him. Finally she frowned and started moving. "No way. I need to get up." She shoved the blanket aside with her good hand and tried to stand up.

Donnie put his hands on her shoulders, "No way, you're still not up to moving around much. You need to rest." He tried to be gentle but that only resulted in his underestimating her strength. With a quiet grunt she stood up, overpowering the light pressure he'd used to restrain her.

Once she had stood up Kit suddenly froze. Her expression went completely blank and a breath later she started to tilt. Don caught her and carefully lowered her back to the bed. After sitting down she managed to shake herself out of her momentary trance-like state and put a hand to her head, ears pinned, eyes closed tightly. "ow." She stated.

Although he smirked slightly, Don couldn't help but feel a little sympathy. "That's why you need to rest." He chastised lightly. The mutant cat didn't reply, only held her head like she was afraid it would explode or float away. She didn't argue or fight as Don carefully lowered her to her back and lifted her legs back onto the mattress before reaching for the covers. Before pulling them back over her he checked to make sure her tail was in a comfortable position.

By the time he had pulled the blankets up over her chest Kit was already asleep again.


	11. Chapter 10 Up Again

I do not own the TMNT

Sorry about the delay, Kit was being a bit onery.

* * *

Chapter ten; Up again

* * *

"Oh Mikey, you're so fine! You're so fine you blow my mind! Hey Mikey! hey, hey- Hey Mikey!"

Michelangelo kept his singing low enough that he wouldn't get in trouble as he danced more than swept with the broom in his hand.

"Oh Mikey, you're so pretty, can't you understand? It's guys like you Mike- _EEP_!" His sing-along was interrupted by an unidentified flying object crashing into the back of his head. He spun around, broom held in a defensive hold that would have made Donatello weep for Mikey's wasted staff training.

Sitting up in bed, tiredly rubbing sleep from her eyes was Kit. Despite the 'just woke up' air she gave off she was glaring lightly at the mutant turtle. "Somehow; changing 'Mickey' to 'Mikey' doesn't help the song much." She commented dryly, her hand dropped to her side like it was made of lead.

Mikey looked down and realized the projectile had been a pillow, likely flung by the mutant patient. He quickly dropped the broom and retrieved the pillow to return it to Kit. Maybe if Mikey was a good little nurse she wouldn't tell anyone about his singing while he swept. "Sorry about that, Donnie had me sweeping and, you know? I just get so _bored_."

"Oh, but sweeping is so exciting." She replied with all the emotional conviction of a dust bunny.

Stopping beside her Mikey tilted his head like a confused puppy. "Are you always this sarcastic? 'Cause I can so see Raph getting jealous." He grinned a little at that thought.

"Only when I'm tired, cranky, annoyed, very bored or feel like I'm dealing with idiots." Kit recited like she was running through a pre-prepared speech. Mikey paused, blinked and started to frown. Kit took just as long to realize how what she'd said was being taken. "_Tired_! Tired! I'm tired!" She insisted, reaching for the pillow in his hands.

Mikey quickly lightened up. "Right, I knew that." He realized that his plan to fluff her pillow and put it back into place had been foiled and quickly searched for another, "Um… so you've been asleep for a while, are you hungry? Thirsty? Need a ride to the bathroom?"

Kit's ears lowered, as though they wanted to flatten against her skull; "I'd have to be dead before I let anyone carry me to the bathroom." She mumbled, "But… I _am_ a little thirsty… could I get some water?"

Grinning broadly, Mikey nodded with so much enthusiasm that the tails of his mask actually bounced high enough to be seen over his head. "I can do that! Be right back!" He said before darting out of the room.

He came out at the lowest level of the lair. The room they had set up as a guest bedroom wasn't the largest; that one had been given to Leo and Don, but it was still one of the larger rooms. They had almost gotten it cleaned out when Kit had woken up for the first time and now it was ready to be used for as long as Kit needed it; even if it did mean that Raph couldn't have it and Mikey was stuck with the chainsaw turtle for a while longer at least it meant that they'd have somebody new around.

Somebody who couldn't complain that they'd seen Mikey's impersonations a hundred times already.

Somebody who was _younger_ than Mikey!

The way Mikey saw it, there was no downside to their guest staying with them. He hurried to the kitchen and quickly grabbed a glass and filled it with water. By the time he had returned to the guest bedroom Kit was trying to stand up again.

"Whoa, hold it! Doctor Don says that's a no-no." Carefully Mikey placed a hand on her shoulder and pressed down. Kit didn't complain at the gentle force but frowned when her knees buckled under the added weight. "There, Donnie says bed rest for a week." He handed Kit the glass, watching carefully to make sure she could hold it.

She gave him a baleful look as she took the water, "You have _got_ to be kidding me." Her voice almost sounded like a groan. "There is no way I'm staying in bed for a week."

Mikey shrugged, "Donnie's orders; talk to him. Watch out though, he likes using needles when people question him.

"I'll keep that in mind." For some reason Kit seemed smug as she sipped the water Mikey had brought her, "And thanks for the drink."

Pleased with a job well done, Mikey smiled. "No problame-o!" He said, shooting off a thumbs up before grabbing his dancing partner broom and leaving the room to get Don.

Once he was out of the room Kit groaned. A _week_. There was no possible way.


	12. Chapter 11 Around the Lair

I do not own the TMNT

Another long delay, but Kit is still being a bit of a jerk.

* * *

Chapter Eleven; Around the Lair

* * *

Leo allowed himself a smile of satisfaction as he hung the newly carved weapons rack in the equally new armory. He turned to the pile of weapons to be set on the rack and his smile vanished.

Although Donnie hadn't wasted any time in replacing the spares that had been destroyed when the old lair was attacked, everyone else was having a harder time. Even Mikey had metal that needed to be worked into his weapons and until a particular kind of wood and material could be found it would be impossible to replace Master Splinter's collection of longbows.

Raphael was in the dojo, repairing his punching bag with the same delicacy and finesse that he had destroyed it with. In fact; he was using the same language every time the needle caught him that he used when his knuckles started bleeding after training too long.

It wasn't a hard decision for Leo to put aside the task of setting up the next rack that would stand empty for all too long in favor of talking to his brother… even if Raph was getting harder to talk to lately.

He wandered over to where Raph was sitting and watched for a moment while Raph went through the familiar motions of sewing. Grip needle in fist, jab viscously into material, curse when the end of the needle comes to a sudden halt and juts back into the fist, grip needle again, shove needle further through material, curse when the point stabs other hand, stop bleeding, pull needle and thread through with another curse, repeat. Raph hadn't sewn an inch and Leo could already see that the bag was going to fall apart if anyone looked at it funny when it was finished.

"How's it coming?" Leo asked nonchalantly.

"Don't start with me Leon!" Raph snapped.

"Good to hear." His glib comment was answered with a growl that registered low enough to nearly shake the stone floor.

Crouching down so that he was at eye level with his brother, but hopefully out of firing range for the large needle he was using, Leo asked, "This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Kit staying in the lair?"

"Why," _jab_ "the," _shove_ "shell," _yank_ "would," _jab_ "that," _shove _"bother," _yank_ "me?" _jab…_

Slowly Raph's expression of barely contained anger melted into one that depicted how close he was to screaming, cursing a green streak, whimpering, or even all of the above no matter how un-Raph like some of the previous activities might seem. The way he almost calmly removed his hand from under the loose material of the punching bag might have made a bystander think he was trying not to startle a large animal with his deliberate, smooth and slow motion. The hand slowly moved to his mouth so that he could bite the finger that even now was leaking more blood than a simple needle should be able to cause.

Leo winced sympathetically and decided to leave the conversation alone for the moment. Raph barely seemed to notice when his brother stood up and left.

Absently taking stock of everyone in the lair, Leo found himself wandering around looking to see where the current residents were located.

The room Kit was staying in was quiet; Don had reported she'd fallen asleep again shortly after he'd changed her bandage. Curious, Leo peaked in on their guest for a moment. She slept silently with the hand of her good arm tucked under the pillow as she curled up on her side. Her bandaged arm seemed to rest a little awkwardly on her side. Don had said the infection had done enough damage that she would need a sling soon and Leo knew how difficult it was to fight with injured limbs when trying to sleep.

Quietly Leo backed out of the room, closing the door until it hung open only about an inch before moving on to where Donnie was puttering about the corner he had commandeered for his work. Several tables were set up and covered with papers, tools and work. Some larger items were set on the floor and off to the side meekly rested the abandoned IV stand April had managed to get for them. Don had been annoyed to find that Kit had removed the needle without permission, but wasn't going to force the issue.

Don stopped what he was doing long enough to wave at Leo and get a smile in return before he set back to work using some fancy tool he'd been ecstatic to find during his last trip to the dump.

Moving on, Leo found Mikey in the kitchen muttering something about 'can't have cake… why not?' as he went through the familiar but complex moves of cooking dinner.

When Leo was seen stepping foot in the kitchen he was met with an expression as hostile and defensive as any Raph could turn up despite being covered with a familiar grin. "Hi Leo, can I get you some tea?" Mikey asked quickly, stepping forward as though to physically stop his brother from intruding further into this sacred land of food and hoped for appliances.

Leo smiled, "Nah, I just wanted to see if you needed any help." He replied honestly.

"Nope, got it covered." Mikey assured him cheerfully. It sometimes confused him why it was so often hinted that Michelangelo was the dimmest of turtles when their beloved wielder of the twin katana couldn't figure out that he was not welcome anywhere near food during the preparation stage.

* * *

Not much of a chapter, just adding a few details relevant to the story and killing time while I work in the next chapter.

KIT! A little help might be appriciated!

(Kit) Yeah... no.

I'm really getting tired of that.


	13. Chapter 12 Always Waking

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Twelve; Always waking

* * *

By the time Kitrian awoke she had slept through dinner as well as the rest of the night. The rest had done her good, she no longer felt like she was swimming through cold mud.

Slowly she pushed herself up with her good arm, pleased that Donnie had not snuck the IV needle back in while she was sleeping. The injured arm still felt heavy, like it was packed with weights from the shoulder down and there was a slight weakness throughout her body that would take a little time to reverse, but otherwise she felt surprisingly well… for the moment.

Once she had sat up Kit moved her injured arm into her lap, almost growling at the resistance she met with this simple movement. Now moderately comfortable she looked around the room. Much to her surprise there was a familiar pack resting against the wall of the room.

Kit pushed aside the covers and climbed off the bed. She held her injured arm close to her side as she knelt down next to her backpack and fumbled one-handed with the zipper. Finally the bag came open and several articles of clothing fell out of where they had been stuffed. "Huh." Kit mumbled.

She picked up one of the shirts that had fallen out and pulled it over her head. Digging around in the bag finally produced a pair of loose pants that she could easily slip into without placing too much discomfort on her tail. Once her mild sense of modesty had been appeased Kit fingered the contents of the bag until she was reasonably sure of the contents. Finally Kit sat back on her haunches and breathed a small sigh, content that the few items she'd brought were secure. Her satisfaction was replaced when Kit picked up on a scent in the air and sniffed deeply, recognizing the familiar scent off a coffee maker just beginning to percolate.

Moving from kneeling to standing upright caused the room to spin. Stubbornly, Kit pressed her good hand against the wall and glared at the room until it settled back into place. Once the stone floor was acting like stone should again Kit stepped forward and walked until she reached the door and leaned against it. She noted with interest that the dojo was occupied.

The turtles were lined up, just as they had been when Kit had first seen them. The difference being that all four were present this time… and all four still had their weapons on them. They were breathing heavily, though Raph and Leo were trying to do their best to disguise this fact. Master Splinter was issuing some curt words to Raphael who didn't seem too happy about his personal lesson but took it anyway.

It wasn't long before Master Splinter dismissed them. They stepped out of their line and right away Donnie bent over and braced himself on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Mikey smiled and tried to tease him, but talking and controlling his breathing led to a short coughing fit. Leo seemed to be watching them with some measure of affection and Raph…

…Looked directly at Kit and glared at her. Kit returned the look with one of cold uncaring before stepping back into the bedroom. "Typical." She mumbled, stepping over to the bed to sit down. Her knees gave out like they were more than happy to be relieved of their burden and Kit was distressed to find that the short period out of bed had left a slight pull in her chest from a very slight shortness of breath.

Kit was considering the virtues of going back to sleep when a knock on the doorframe caught her attention. Mikey was smiling brightly and holding a tray of toast, eggs and juice. Behind him Donatello was waiting with a notebook in hand and behind _them_ Leo stood, just looking curious.

"Breakfast!" Mikey announced cheerfully, holding up the tray to validate his claim. "Hungry?"

The smell of the eggs and toast hit Kit's nose and her stomach confirmed that it had been empty for far too long. As it announced this loud enough for all to hear Kit covered her face with one hand and the turtles grinned.

"That's a pretty good sign that you're not going to have a relapse." Donnie told her.

Mikey plopped the tray into her lap. Kit looked down and noted that the bread was crisp, but not overdone and the scrambled eggs looked perfect. "There's tons more in the kitchen!" Mikey announced cheerfully.

"Thanks." Kit told him. She picked up the toast and took a bite. "hmm." She hummed. Mikey grinned, accepting the compliment.

Donatello held up the notebook he'd brought. "Um…. Mikey said you couldn't have cake. Is that right?" Kit nodded slowly, one of her ears perked up while the other drooped, copying the same gesture as her eyebrows. "Is there, um, anything else?" He asked tactfully.

"We don't want to poison you or anything." Mikey grinned and flopped down on the bed beside Kit.

Once Kit finished her mouthful she nodded. "I guess that makes sense." She agreed.

Mikey nodded. "Yep, I'm ze chef around here so I've got to know!" He announced, shifting between at least three fake accents. Once he'd finished his act he jerked a thumb in Leo's direction, "And Leo's probably dying to know if you can have tea cause, like, the dude's addicted." Leonardo shot his little brother a look but remained silent.

Donnie opened the notebook, earning a wary look from their guest. "So, would you mind telling us now what you can and can't have?"

"Um…" Kit ran her fingers over her scalp and between her ears, leaving comb marks where her claws had trailed through the fur. "Well…" She took a breath, then jumped into the list. "Too much sugar is bad, chocolate, caffeine, asprin most junk foods- " Mikey's jaw dropped, Donnie just nodded and kept writing. "Sodas of any kind and any herbs or plants with strong… effects on the …um…" Donnie looked up as Kit tried to remember the right words, "Homeo…homopa- um…"

"Homeopathic?" Donnie suggested.

Kit nodded, "Yeah, that part of the body." Leo took this information and considered it, nodding while Donnie bit his lip to keep from smiling at her slight anatomy mix-up.

Mikey stared at Kit like she had just turned human. "No junk food?" He squeaked. Kit stared at her tray, growing uncomfortable under the prolonged attention. "No junk food at all?" Mikey repeated. Kit nodded. "_What gives you the will to live?!?!_"

The turtle's outburst drew his brother's attention away from Kit, more so when he hit the floor on his knees and started wailing about having been hatched into such a cold cruel world.

* * *

Raphael waited just outside of the guest bedroom, right where he could hear every word that was said but he wouldn't be seen.

Who did this girl think she was? First she comes creeping into the lair, spying on them. Then she turns up her little pussy nose at offers of hospitality or help. And that attitude… He didn't like her. Even if she had been sick, it didn't excuse her acting that way.

And she had fought Leo. Raph had seen it, not only did she throw a guy nearly three times her size, but she'd broken a pin. Raph had also seen her fight the punks on the street. Purple Dragon, even just one or two, shouldn't be going down against some kid that small.

And she kicked like an ox. Raph didn't like it, not one bit.

* * *

Mikey's such a drama queen. I love him so. :D


	14. Chapter 13 Changlings

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Thirteen; Changlings

* * *

Leo frowned as he watched Kit hide a yawn behind her knees. "Maybe we should leave." He suggested.

Mikey and Don immediately looked sheepish for having kept Kit awake. Kit just shook her head, "I'm fine, really." She insisted, sounding like she was telling the truth. By now she had long since finished breakfast and was enjoying listening to Donatello and Michelangelo banter over the age old question; Superman or Batman?

Donnie immediately slipped into doctor mode. "Are you sure? You need as much rest as you can get."

Kit nodded. "It's not like I'm doing anything… um… non-restful." Smiling innocently she let her knees fall to the sides and her ankles cross. "Just sitting."

Even Mikey was in on it. "If you need to take a nap…" He suggested hesitantly.

"Perhaps a little longer." The boys instantly were on their feet. Donnie and Mikey jumped off of where they had settled on the bed and Leo pushed off from the wall he had been leaning against. From where she sat, Kit straightened up as Master Splinter walked into the room. He nodded to his adopted sons and smiled at the guest on the bed. Quickly Kit shifted on the bed, giving the blankets a little tug to straighten them up so that Master Splinter Could sit down.

He accepted the seat and settled himself near the foot of the bed. His eyes alit with some kind of amusement that neither Kit nor the turtles understood. "I believe that we should learn more of each other." Master Splinter began. "Am I correct in assuming that you are new to New York City, Kitrian?"

Kit nodded, much calmer than the first time he had asked her questions. "Yeah… how did you know?"

"You smell distinctly of mountain air and soil." He explained, tapping his impressive snout. Kit frowned and sniffed the fur on her hand, but only picked up the faint scents of generic soap and sewage. "Would I also be correct in assuming you are from a mountainous region?"

Again Kit nodded, still staring at her fur as though expecting it to tell her why he smelled things she couldn't. "Yeah… I mean-" Looking up quickly she corrected herself. "Yes. I lived near the Rockies."

Donatello let out a low whistle. Leonardo looked a little surprised. Mikey grinned, "Cool, did you get to see them play a lot?" Donnie and Leo groaned while Master Splinter cast the happy turtle a confused look.

Kit shook her head, watching Michelangelo carefully to see if perhaps he was joking. "No… I never saw them play. I lived near the Wyoming Rocky Mountains… not the baseball team."

Before his brothers could be relieved that they hadn't had to explain what should have been obvious Mikey opened his mouth again. "Oh! So you're Canadian eh?"

"Eh?" Kit intoned, completely lost.

"Please excuse Mikey… He was dropped on his head when young." Leo apologized.

"Repetitively." Donnie added. Master Splinter shot the two of them disapproving glances and they quickly ducked their heads.

For her part, Kit perked an ear in amusement. Finally Master Splinter cleared his throat, drawing the conversation back to the questions he wanted answered. "How long have you been in this city?"

Kit frowned and tried to figure it up. "Well… I've been ihere/i for… Four days?"

"Five." Donnie corrected.

Her ears drooped, "Right, five days… and… week…" Absently she counted with her fingers, frowning when she tried to tally up to five on her four fingers. After a moment she nodded and said; "Four weeks day after tomorrow."

Everyone else in the room seemed interested in this news. "Then, that would mean you were here when the mousers were loose in the sewers!" Leo voiced what his family was thinking.

"Mousers?" Kit frowned, not familiar with the term.

"Yeah! Little robots with way too many teeth!" Mikey made chomping motions with his hands.

Kit glanced down at her lap. "Oh." She mumbled. "Yeah, ran into those." The hand of her good arm wandered over to cover the bandage on her injured arm. "Nasty little things."

"Ouch." Mikey commented tactfully. "But no worries, Donnie and April blew them up!"

"Good." Mumbled Kit, still absently clutching at her arm. The pain had mostly passed, but it was beginning to itch now.

"Wyoming to New York is quite a journey." Master Splinter said, once again attempting to bring the conversation back on track. "Is there any particular reason you made it?"

For a breath Kit didn't react, almost like she was trying to cover her initial response to the question before she simply stated. "It was getting too dangerous. The region is very popular for hunters of regular game and the nuts looking for bigfoot, jackalope and that stuff."

"Jackalope?" Mikey scratched his head, "Was that in a movie?"

"If I may ask." Master Splinter felt the need once again to get back to the point. Once he had Kit's attention (Mikey was still mumbling to himself about possible Jackalope films) Master Splinter repeated. "If I may ask, how old were you when you became as you are now?"

The question confused Donnie and Leo. How could she have known? All Master Splinter knew about himself was he was no longer a young rat and the turtles were 'baby turtles', how would Kit know? "Attack of the Jackalope? No…" Mikey mumbled, still convinced he would remember it soon.

"I was ten when I first noticed something." Kit nodded. "Almost thirteen when it stopped."

Master Splinter nodded. Leo and Donnie helped each other to scrape their jaws of the floor. Mikey stopped his train of thought and looked around, confused. "What did I miss?"

"You-!" Donnie stopped and cleared his throat, then continued without cracking, "You were ten? Then, you had to have been human!"

"What?!" Mikey squeaked.

Kit looked slightly confused. "Uh, yeah, weren't you?" The turtles shook their heads.

The old rat did not look surprised in the least. "I believe explanations are in order." He said.

Mikey grinned broadly and dropped to a seated position on the floor. His brothers hesitated a moment, then sat down. Kit shot them a curious glance before turning to Master Splinter, who was smiling slightly. "Fifteen years ago," He began. "I was a mere rat, wandering the streets, attempting to survive when one day I saw something I will never forget…"

* * *

Story time! Story time! *grabs stuffed animal and settles down with a silly grin on face*

I imagine Master Splinter loves this story, but not quite as much as the turtles.


	15. Chapter 14 Memories of the Past

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter fourteen; Memories of the past

* * *

"An old man wearing dark glasses and carrying a walking stick was attempting to cross the street, but did not see the truck bearing down on him. A young boy dashed out into the street and pushed the man to safety. Unnoticed by all was the small boy who was jostled and dropped a glass bowl containing four baby turtles."

Kit glanced at the turtles, seeing them sit a little higher as they came into the story.

Splinter continued. "The baby turtles fell into the sewer and I, curious, followed them. The glass bowl had shattered and the turtles wandered free through a strange green ooze which had come from another container. Moved to pity, I gathered the turtles into a coffee can, covering myself in the same ooze."

"I brought the turtles back to my burrow. Night passed and in the morning I was startled to find that the baby turtles had nearly doubled in size, as had I. As the days came and went I was equally surprised to find that along with this unusual growth, I was also growing in intellect and could understand the world around me far better than ever before."

"The young turtles would follow me as I scavenged and one day I was startled to hear one of the turtles say my name. It was not long after that that they all were talking." Mikey seemed ready to add his own comment here but Leo and Don both put a hand over his beak to silence him. Splinter saw this and eyed them with a slight grin as he added. "Intelligence soon followed."

"As they grew older, I taught the turtles in the art of ninjitsu so that they might be able to protect themselves from a world that did not understand them, and might seek to harm them." Kit nodded sadly, fully understanding. She also seemed curious about something, but let it rest.

"They continued to grow, in size, intelligence and skill. I chose names for them from a book of renaissance artists I'd recovered from the sewers." At this the three turtles straightened up even more, but Leo and Don kept their hands firmly over Mikey's mouth. The muzzled turtle looked annoyed by this prolonged enforced silence.

"Leonardo." Leo nodded.

"Donatello." Donnie smiled.

"Raphael." Several pairs of eyes shifted to the door. Clearly Raph's stealthy presence just out of sight wasn't a secret.

"And Michelangelo."

"Hmph!" Mikey put in.

By the time Master Splinter had finished his tale of the past Kit was barely awake. Her eyes had slid down almost completely closed and she leaned against the wall with all the seeming strength of wet tissue paper.

"I believe that is enough conversation for today." Master Splinter said quietly. Kit just nodded, not quite appearing to know what had just been said.

The turtles stood and followed Master Splinter out of the room. Kit settled down for another nap and the last thing she heard before closing her eyes was a cheerfully whispered. "Sleep tight!" From the orange banded turtle.

Down in the dojo Raph had dragged out his punching bag and was fighting to get it mended again. He had progressed maybe another half inch and considering the gash he'd left in it he had a long, long way to go. He had no intention of letting his brothers know he's been eavesdropping on the earlier conversation. Privately he seethed.

Human. She had been human. That explained the prissy diet. _Too much sugar is bad, chocolate, caffeine… most junk foods… Sodas…_ Seriously, what did she expect to find coming to the sewers? Jenny Craig and Martha Stewart's Health Emporium?

Raph snorted, shaking his head as he continued repairing the bag.

"Can you believe it?" Donnie asked Leo quietly, both heading for the dojo. "She was human!"

"That would explain how she knew she was thirteen." Leo answered. "And where she learned to fight."

"And the clothes." Mikey put in. "Did ya see? She was wearing _pants_ again." He made a face and stuck out his tongue before hurrying off to the kitchen.

Leo smiled at Mikey's antics before turning to Don and frowning. The team's brainiest turtle was lost in thought, his expression loudly broadcasting the circuits firing behind his mask. "Don?" Leo asked.

Donnie blinked and looked up. "Yes Leo?"

"Don't." Leo warned.

"Don't what?"

"I know that look, don't get carried away. Would you want someone basically jumping you with a lot of questions about your mutation?"

This made Donatello frown. "Leo, I'm not going to strap her down to a table and dissect her, I just want to compare what she knows with what we know. Think of the possibilities!"

Leo didn't lighten up. "Just don't push it. We don't know how comfortable she is as a mutant. She may not even want to talk about whatever caused it."

Donnie nodded, but was beginning to look like when Master Splinter used to take books away from him at the table. "Fine. I'll lay off for a while." He agreed.

"At least until she's off bed rest." Leo specified.

"Fine." Donnie grumbled slightly.

He didn't like it one bit.

"Donnie!" Mikey came jogging out of the kitchen. "The sink's not working again."

Donatello frowned. "Again?" He repeated incredulously. "I already fixed it!"

Mikey shrugged. "Sorry, but it's not even dripping this time." He said.

Donnie sighed and shot a rueful glance at Leo. "Now _what_ am I going to distract myself with to keep from pestering our guest?" He asked rhetorically before turning and walking towards the kitchen.


	16. Chapter 15 Round about

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter fifteen; Feeling better

* * *

No wonder the stupid sink hadn't been working right. There was a pipe in the wall that had rusted from the inside out until it was completely useless. Being forced to work with compromised materials frustrated Donatello to no end, but it wasn't like they had much choice. Hopefully Leo and Mikey would be able to find a suitable replacement at the dump.

He was inspecting the rest of the plumbing under the sink for similar problems when Donnie heard a quiet footstep behind him, an almost sure indication that someone was trying to sneak up on him. Rather than play along, Don held out a hand and ordered, "Hand me the pliers."

"Eh…?"

"They should be right next to the screwdrivers." Donnie explained. He really didn't want to pull his head out from under the sink when there was someone there to hand him what he needed.

Metal padded into Donnie's hand and he quickly pulled the pliers in with him to tighten a clasp, silently hoping the thing wouldn't snap in the process.

Once he was finished he held the pliers out, "Okay, put them back please." He called.

The pliers were removed and when Donnie felt his helper's hand brush over his skin he nearly banged his head trying to sit up. "What the…?!" Quickly Don slid out from under the sink and glared. "Kit! You're supposed to be in bed! That's kind of the point of 'bed rest'."

The mutant cat looked at him with no small measure of amusement. "I think I know what 'bed rest' means. How about another one? 'bored out of my mind'." She replied.

By now Don was standing up. "You shouldn't be wandering around without someone to help you! And you definitely shouldn't be letting that arm hang like that!" Kit glanced down at her injured arm, which she simply did not have the strength to lift just yet. "Come on." Donnie put a hand behind her good arm and started to lead her to the corner he was using for his lab. She followed his guidance with only slight resistance and looked like she was trying not to laugh as he swung into a full lecture. "You need to take it easy until your body has the time to build up enough reserves to function normally, not to mention anything potentially strenuous. You really shouldn't even be trying to use that arm until you can stay awake for more than a few hours at a time and…"

The lecture continued, occasionally slipping into the usage of medical terminology as Donatello proceeded to explain the specifics of why bed rest was so important. He covered the importance of a careful physical therapy program as he searched a desk of mismatched drawers and finally pulled out a roll of cloth. He unfolded the pre-cut triangle and with help from Kit tied it around her arm and neck to properly support the limb until it regained strength. By the time he was physically leading Kit back to her assigned room he had moved on to the joys of regaining full use of previously injured limbs rather than the permanent damage that could occur if proper care was not taken.

When he started his speech from the beginning again Kit felt inclined to interrupt. "Don?" She asked.

"…not to mention anything… um…" He blinking, his train of thought derailed –which was probably for the best in this case. "Yes?"

She managed a small smile. "Thanks, really." Kit said sincerely, then lifted her good hand and indicated her large ears. "I hear dripping."

Donnie blinked, not sure what she meant at first, he then leapt into action, running back to the kitchen with a gasp. "The sink!"

After he left Kit was alone in the room. "Poor guy would probably burst something it he found out I used the bathroom alone." With a sigh she turned around and looked at the space she'd been given. The room was… large. The ceiling was higher than she was used to and the space used for the bed and her backpack took up less than a fifth of the total floor area. Returning to the bed, Kit just shook her head. The room was actually too big for comfort. The air shifted funny around her ears and the large empty space just sat there. At least the rest stop had not only been a little smaller, but with the sink and shower it definitely wasn't just a bedroom.

And it seemed to act like a magnifier for how incredibly bored Kit was.

After a couple minutes Kit stood up and went to the door, looking out into the main room. Donatello was out of sight in the kitchen. Quietly Kit crept out of the bedroom. Leaving the lair quietly would be impossible, but maybe she could find something to occupy her time before the others got back.

* * *

Despite trying to be sneaky there was no way Kit could have avoided the only other pair of eyes in the lair. From his quarters Splinter watched the mutant cat slip out of her room and wander around until she came across the still damaged remains of Raphael's punching bag.

Before picking the bag up Kit again glanced towards the kitchen, sure that only Donatello would catch her as she began to inspect the bag. It wasn't long before she'd sat down and was repairing the tear with one hand more easily than Raphael had managed with two.

Master Splinter smiled to himself. From what he could tell of the strange mutant, she was just young and lost. He sensed that she meant no harm to his family and felt the need to help the young one. He'd suspected and her sudden illness proved that she wasn't ready to live in the sewers alone, surviving in the country and surviving in the city were two completely different matters, neither necessarily easier than the other but both equally dangerous to one who was unprepared.

Also as he'd suspected, Master Splinter's sons –for the most part- felt the need to protect this stranger, clearly a sign that they had learned well their lessons of honor. Even Raphael, though clearly unhappy with this stranger's intrusion into their quiet lives, did not question the need to offer her aid as she recovered.

Smiling slightly to himself, Master Splinter retired to his meditations.

* * *

Confession time; The point of this chapter was to kill time and get Kit a sling.

But if you'd like to review anyways... =D


	17. Chapter 16 Stranger than Appearances

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter sixteen; Stranger than Appearances

* * *

"This isn't going to be enough to repair the sink… is it?" Leo asked, surveying the damage and comparing it to the one pipe he'd been sent to scavenge for. Donatello had completely ripped out the piping below the sink and well into the wall behind it, leaving piping and bits of construction material scattered over the kitchen floor.

Donnie shook his head, then removed another pipe and put it behind him. "I don't know what it is, but for some reason the entire system on this side of the structure has rotted away."

Leo picked up one of the pipes and inspected it. It looked like something had eaten away at it from the outside and made several small holes. "What could cause this?" He asked.

Donatello shook his head. "I'm not sure, yet." Lifting another one of the pipes he explained, "I'm going to run some tests to see what might be causing this, would you mind letting everyone know that we'll be using the water from the bathroom for a while?"

"Sure thing Don." Leo agreed. He headed out of the kitchen, smiling slightly when he heard Donnie start muttering to himself. The purple banded turtle probably wasn't even aware he did that. Almost immediately Leo ran into Mikey carrying a box overstuffed with comics. "Hey Mikey, Don says the kitchen sink's going to be out for a while, okay?"

Mikey shifted the box in his arms, causing several comics to slide off the top. "Sure thing Leo!" Mikey agreed. They parted ways and Mikey headed over to the room where Kit was staying.

Just as he'd last seen her, the new mutant was sitting on her bed reading some old book that looked like the pages were about to fall out or maybe just crumble the next time she turned them. "Hey! I got you some new reading material!" He grinned.

Kit looked up and flinched when another comic fell off the box and hit her book. Fortunately the thing wasn't ready to give up the ghost yet and held together. Curious, Kit lifted the comic. The cover was missing but on the front page there was a drawing of a little girl sitting on a box in a slightly messy room. She was smiling and the speech bubble over her head read 'Let me tell you a story- -'.

"Um…" Kit mumbled, unsure of what to say.

Mikey just continued to grin as he set the box down and started pulling out other issues. "I figured if iI/i was stuck in bed for a whole week, I'd be so bored, ya know? So I thought I'd bring this in and…" He babbled on and on, pointing out his favorite issues, occasionally stopping to ask if Kit had read this one or that one, then continuing before she had an opportunity to answer.

Meanwhile Raph had returned to the lair after having decided to actually take the garbage out for once. After putting it off for as long as he could Raph finally headed to the dojo to try and make some headway on that dratted punching bag.

Imagine his surprise when he found that the bag had already been fully repaired. Raph smirked slightly and looked up to see Leo walking toward him. "Did you do this?" Raph asked, holding up the bag in question.

Leo shook his head. "No, Master Splinter said it was your responsibility this time. Besides, I was at the dump with Mikey." Changing to the subject at hand he added, "The kitchen sink's not going to be working for a while, so be sure to use the bathroom for water, okay?"

"Yeah, fine." Raph said, still thinking about the bag. Leo gave him a look that lightly questioned whether Raph had really heard him. Figuring his brother would find out one way or another Leo left to make sure Master Splinter knew.

Running a finger over the stitches, Raph noted that they weren't as neat as Master Splinter's, so maybe if Donnie had done it while everyone else had been out of the lair? That would explain why the work wasn't as regular as what Donnie could usually do. Satisfied with his conclusion, Raph put the bag aside and went to see what he could do to help out with the plumbing in the kitchen.

* * *

"… and in this issue the Silver Sentry discovers that his human friend had been acting as a spy and leaking his secrets to the villainous Dr. Badman Geyser." Mikey announced, waving the issue in question over his head as he ran through several dramatic poses to emphasize his explanation.

Kit looked bemused and shook her head slightly. "You are definitely one of a kind." She said absently.

Michelangelo grinned, "Yep, if you don't count my bros, but they were like the prototypes before the perfect model got produced."

Like it was on some kind of slide Kit's head continued to move slightly to either side. "I just don't get you. Did you send Leo to check on me?"

Mikey realized the conversation had gotten serious. Shrugging slightly he answered, "Not really, he went to get you 'cause I was probably acting a little worried." He shrugged off exactly how worried he'd been at the time. "Really, I think he was worried too." That wasn't exactly true but it was a possibility… right? "Besides, anyone would have done the same."

"No." Kit disagreed, although not vehemently, merely as a statement of fact. "I don't think I've ever met anyone who would do that."

That seemed to stop Mikey short. He frowned. "Really?" He asked.

Kit nodded slightly. "Not for a stranger, if at all."

Somehow this seemed to unsettle Mikey. "But, you were human… you musta' met thousands of people." He argued, still not believing what he heard.

Shrugging slightly Kit answered slowly, "Yeah, maybe. But only a few of them seemed worth knowing, and even they had to be careful… Anyway… I guess what I'm trying to say is thanks. I probably… no, I _would_ have died if you guys hadn't done something."

A second or two passed where Mikey shuffled his feet and scraped a toed over the stone floor, "Yeah, well," His skin darkened slightly before he looked up with a smile. Mikey grinned and started clowning around, making Kit laugh. "It's what we do, cause we're cool like that!"

"Yeah." She agreed. "You really are."


	18. Chapter 17 Annoyances

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Seventeen; Annoyances

* * *

Donatello was getting pretty sick of looking at the kitchen plumbing. He decided to check on Kit's progress if for no other reason than Leo giving him a second lecture on not pestering their guest would be a welcome change from mysterious rotting metal. Besides that it was getting a little crowded with Mikey trying to make dinner in there.

Unfortunately as soon as Donnie got to Kit's room a different lecture started. "KIT! You're supposed to be in _bed_!"

Kit looked up from where she was seated on the floor. "What? It's not like I'm running a marathon or anything!?" She objected.

Donnie sighed, "It's called 'bed' rest for a reason." He insisted. "What are you doing anyway?" He stepped in and held out a hand to Kit. She ignored it and stood up under her own power.

"I was cutting a hole in my pants for my tail." Kit explained, holding up the clothing article in question.

"With one hand?" Donnie asked skeptically.

Shrugging, Kit tossed the pants over to her backpack, which now rested beside a large box of comics that looked like she hadn't touched them. "I can still use my other hand… some." After adjusting the sling so it rested comfortably on her shoulder she sat down on the bed. Holding up her good hand in a half shrug she grinned slightly. "Happy now? I am on the bed."

Donatello crossed his arms and looked stern. "_In_ the bed." He insisted.

Muttering mutterings that Donnie was probably glad he couldn't quite hear, Kit adjusted the covers so that she was officially _in_ the bed. "Ya happy?" She asked again.

"You shouldn't be using that arm at all! Aggravating the damaged muscle tissue at this stage of recovery could result in less than adequate healing and possibly result in permanent decreased function." Donnie scolded. He leaned down and picked up the pants Kit had been working with. "If you wanted your pants altered why didn't you say anything?"

His sudden switch in subject forced Kit to pause slightly. "What?"

"Why didn't you say anything? I could have easily taken some time or even asked somebody to-"

"_Oh_ no!" Kit interrupted, "There is no way I'm letting someone else do my job just because I got a little sick." She tried to cross her arms but when the sling got in her way Kit had to settle for resting her good hand on her side.

By now Donnie had folded the pants and dropped them on Kit's backpack, which was still mostly packed. "I think we might need to have a little talk about what 'a little sick' means to you." He said mildly. It was a tone he'd perfected on both Raphael and Leonardo when they got stubborn about being taken care of. It also helped him to keep from laughing at how ridiculous the mutant feline was looking at this moment.

Kit made a face like she had something nasty in her mouth. "Okay, so maybe 'a little sick' is an understatement, but believe me I've been in worse shape. I can still fix my own pants!"

This time Donnie answered by pulling a thermometer out from where it had been stashed and sticking in in Kit's mouth. She gagged for a second before adjusting it and keeping her mouth shut while her good hand rapped out an annoyed rhythm on the blanket. Satisfied with this temporary silence, Donnie managed a smug grin. His patient glared at him.

* * *

Michelangelo was humming something to himself as he mixed the leftovers from a dinner some nights ago into a 'like new!' casserole. As Mikey lost his place in whatever he was humming and switched automatically into another random tune in a similar key Raphael wandered into the kitchen, rolling his eyes slightly at how domestic his brother was acting. Really there was nothing wrong with it, in fact; Raph didn't have any reason whatsoever for disaproving of the same behavior that had kind of amused him in their old lair. It was just that increasingly lately things had been getting on his nerves for no good reason.

Mikey's humming came to a grating halt, roughening into an annoyed grunt as he realized that he was going to need some more water, which meant another trip to the bathroom.

Raph watched Mikey leave before stealing a couple bits from the casserole to munch on. The food reminded him of another complaint he'd had lately, their guest and her prissy diet. Raph shook his head. If there was one thing he and his brothers had to learn early it was that food was food, eat it or starve. But naturally, being human for most of her life the girl was probably used to eating whatever she wanted and turning her nose up at anything less. Wonder if she knew where they got some of this food… poor thing would probably swoon if she found out…

With a dark chuckle Raph tossed another bit of filched chicken from the casserole into his mouth as he left the kitchen. Mikey was coming back with the water and heard his brother's mysterious mirth. Frowning, he checked the casserole and finding that it was somehow different than when he'd left it Mikey assumed (correctly) that Raph had stolen some stuff from the pot. He spent the rest of his time prepping dinner grumbling empty threats along the line of hot chili powder in Raph's portion.

* * *


	19. Chapter 18 What Happened That Night

I do not own the TMNT

*Warning!* Flashback ahead! Buckle your seatbelts and you might want to grab a poncho.

* * *

Chapter Eighteen; What Happened That Day

* * *

About an hour had passed and the air held the faintest trace of cooked vegetables, chicken and light spices.

In the bed she was still sitting in, Kit lifted her nose slightly and inhaled the scent, smiling faintly. Her nose twitched slightly as she took the scent in. When the smell seemed to be at just the right amount Kit turned to the door, expecting to find Mikey pretending not to be sneaking. Instead she found Leonardo, walking without the intent for stealth yet almost completely silent anyway. "Um…" Kit fidgeted, "Hi."

"Hi, Mikey's getting after Raph about sneaking food while he's cooking, so I brought your dinner." Leo held up a plate of something yellowish with bits of green, orange and tan.

Kit's smile held more of a smirk than anything, "Thanks… is Don still guarding to door?"

This seemed to confuse Leo for a second before he smiled. "Of course not." He said, nodding vigorously.

Kit rolled her eyes and used her good arm to help her sit up while being sure not to break the rule of 'in' bed versus 'on' bed. Leo stepped over and handed her the plate, turning to fork so that it was closer to her good hand. "Thanks." Kit mumbled. She picked up the fork and scooped a little of the casserole before pausing. "Leo?" She asked.

Leo had been about to leave, but he stopped. "Yes?"

"Was he… was Mikey really that worried?" The fork dumped the bite of food and poked at it a little.

Her question confused Leo. "Mikey? Worried? About what?"

Kit kept her eyes on the casserole in her lap. "When you came looking for me…"

Although her tone indicated she didn't give a flip one way or another Leo was more than familiar with that kind of bluff. The question was probably important to her and important questions deserved honest answers.

Leo considered, recalling his exact feeling the night he'd found her. "Yeah, he was worried." he said. "The rest of us were pretty annoyed. I thought either you hadn't been serious when you said you'd come or that you'd decided not to come." The cat's ears lowered a half a degree. "To be honest." Leo added, "I never seriously thought you might be in trouble." Shrugging slightly he explained, "I'd seen you taking care of your arm, so I didn't consider that might be a problem, and I know you can fight so that didn't seem too much of a problem either. You seemed capable of taking care of yourself."

They were quiet for a while. Kit's fork separated a bit of chicken which she speared and nibbled on.

Finally Leo added. "I'm sorry."

Kit jerked up, looking surprised and confused. "What for?"

"For not giving you more credit. Mikey said you had promised and I should have given that more weight than I did."

His words received a sort of sad look. "Not really. Seems I haven't been able to keep many promises lately. Plus; I was a jerk and haven't done anything to deserve so much as a second thought, much less… well…" She shrugged and gestured around vaguely. "So… um…" After giving the food another good poke with the fork Kit looked up again. She met Leo's eyes and said solemnly, "Thank you. You saved my life."

Leo coughed and glanced at the floor for a second, hooking his thumbs through his belt for a second. It was hard to tell, but the faint darkening of skin on his face looked something like a blush. "Really it wasn't… um… so," Finally he looked up. "You never did say exactly how you got that infection."

"Oh…" Kit ran her fingers over the bandage that stuck out under the sleeve of the t-shirt she was now wearing. "That…" The mood in the room lightened considerably when she snorted. "I got lost again." She shrugged, "All those tunnels look the same to me…

* * *

_Lost again. These stupid tunnels looked exactly alike, how the heck was anyone supposed to get around without getting lost?_

_Right, sewers, nobody was supposed to be down here._

_Kit stubbornly continued along her chosen path, her eyes wide to catch what little light there was as she tried to find something familiar. Her feet moved quietly through the water, sinking into the sludge at the bottom with each step. By now she had given up on wearing her shoes in the tunnels. The sensation and the thought of what that sludge was composed of had disgusted her at first, but now Kit was getting used to it. It kind of reminded her of the mud at the bottom of the ditch back home… except way smellier and no glass._

_She came to an intersection of four tunnels. It was particularly dark here though overhead Kit could just make out something that looked like a broken light fixture. Another step and she could feel the sludge was thinner. One step more and Kit's feet touched only the brickwork of the tunnel under the water. Lack of experience with the tunnels gave her no explanation for what might cause this change, nor for the increased current around her ankles. Under her shirt Kit felt her fur stand on end. Her tail twitched, tugging for release from her pant leg. Kit's gut was telling her there was something strange that she should be aware of but she wasn't sure what._

_Down one of the tunnels Kit spotted light. Hopefully this would bring her back to familiar territory. She took a step in that direction and lost her balance, dropping her bag when her foot continued past where the floor was supposed to be. Normally she could have easily adapted before she fell, but the water pulled at her foot, dragging her down. Kit barely had time to gasp in shock before she fell and her head went under._

_Underneath the surface Kit could again feel the current. It was stronger than she had thought and trying to pull her with it. She flailed blindly, disoriented, and running on only a gasp of air and adrenaline._

_Although Kit didn't know what direction was up she could feel a current and didn't want to follow it so she fought against the current. The pull wasn't powerful, but Kit had never been a strong swimmer. Her feet kicked hard. She couldn't see, she couldn't hear and with her fur she couldn't feel any changes in the water around her._

_Her lungs were beginning to burn. The filthy water stung at her eyes and swirled against her ears. Despite keeping her mouth closed Kit's mouth and nose filled with water. After less than a minute of struggling she couldn't hold her breath any longer and air slowly bubbled out of her mouth, soon after that her vision of the murky water started to fuzz;_

_Just as her head broke the surface._

_Kit struggled to the side of the unseen drainage shaft and climbed into one of the tunnels, coughing and gasping, sputtering and spitting. Her nose and her eyes ran freely as her system tried to clear everything out. As her breathing slowly came under control Kit shook her head just as hard and fast as she could getting as much water out of her fur as possible._

_"That…" She gasped, "was… no fun." Kit coughed some more and retched at the smell and the taste. As she calmed down she felt a series of stinging pains on her arm. Dirty water had soaked through the cloth of her sweatshirt and the bandages, contaminate the cuts and probably getting into her blood._

_"Great." Kit growled, "Just great."_

_To make matters worse she could just picture her newly scavenged supplies, including antibiotic ointment, swirling down that drain where she had dropped her bag._

_And she was still lost._

* * *

… I eventually found my way back… I wasn't feeling too good by then…" Kit shrugged again. "I showered and went to bed. Probably should have known better."

By this time Donatello had stopped pretending he wasn't standing right outside and had stepped in to listen to the story. "That certainly explains how you got that infection." He said.

"Yeah, it was kind of unavoidable at that point." Kit agreed.

* * *


	20. Chapter 19 The Human

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter nineteen; The Human

* * *

"KIT!"

"Aw crap."

"If I catch you sneaking out of there one more time you can bet your ears I'll be _carrying_ you back to your room!"

Kit narrowed her eyes till they were slits. The lair was still partially lit by the strange crystals Donnie hadn't removed from the walls yet and in the dim lighting Kit's eyes reflected white, much like the turtles' did. "Try it and you'll find yourself in for a lot more trouble than you predicted." She warned.

Despite her threatening appearance Donnie didn't seem overly concerned. "Bed." He ordered. Kit huffed in annoyance but turned and followed orders. Donnie followed shortly behind. "What are you even doing up so late?" He asked.

"Nature called." Kit grumbled. Suddenly Kit came to a complete stop. She turned and faced Donatello. "Late?" Kit asked skeptically. "I was wondering what _you_ were doing up so _early_!"

They stared at each other for a second before both went to look at their watches. Donnie pulled his wrist guard back while Kit pulled a wrist watch out of her pocket.

"It's that late?" Don whistled.

Kit pocketed the watch and grinned mischievously for a second before pulling on a more stern expression. "If you're still saying late I assume you haven't gone to bed yet?" She pressed.

"Now hold on-" Donnie tried to argue.

The feline shook her head. "No. Sleep is just as important to those who aren't getting over being sick; it kind of keeps them from getting sick. Of the two of us it seems only one of us has gotten any sleep tonight. I'm going to have to insist you turn around right now and get your shell off to bed."

"But-"

"No buts, bed!" She pointed. "Now, or I'm telling your father on you." Her tone was strict, even if the muscles of her face did spasm under the effort of not laughing.

"This is absurd!" Donnie insisted.

"_Bed._" Kit snapped. "Now!"

Grumbling and running low on coffee, Donatello turned and headed for his room.

Kit's eyes squinted and her shoulders shook with silent mirth as she headed off to her own bed.

* * *

"Anon! I see an angel! Could it be that April has decided to grace us with her presence?" Mikey's accent was horrible, but at least he earned a smile in reward for his silliness.

"Hey guys!" She called.

"April!" "Hey April!"

The redhead was met with smiles and warm greetings. While she updated the turtles and Master Splinter on how things were going with her father's store she was offered drinks, snacks, a seat, and a massage (for which Mikey was promptly smacked upside the head.)

"…And the inspector came by and told me to get a plumber over. Apparently something got into the system and it's actually rotting them out!" She explained.

"Could it be the same thing that's affecting our pipes?" Donnie hypothesized.

"I don't know, it's possible. The inspector said that it was affecting several areas. Thankfully he didn't write me up for it and just made an appointment to come back when the problem's fixed." April glanced around and added. "I noticed you were doing some plumbing."

It was kind of hard to miss. Donatello's project had spread and now there were piles of plumbing scattered around the lair.

"That happens when Don gets into a project." Raph agreed.

Donatello just smiled a little sheepishly before clearing his throat and pressing forward, "Do you have any idea what could be causing this?" He asked.

April slowly shook her head, thinking over what she knew. "I'm not sure. The inspector said it was some kind of mold or something."

Suddenly Donatello looked alarmed. "It couldn't make anybody sick could it?"

Again April shook her head, more sure of herself this time. "No, if it were making people sick it probably would have made the news." For some reason that didn't seem to calm Donnie's nerves, and his being nervous was starting to have some effect on Mikey as well. The orange masked turtle shifted uncomfortably in his seat and glanced to one of the doors that led to one of the lower rooms. April frowned, "Tell you what, I'll call a plumber as soon as I get home to get that looked at and get the rest of the information, then I'll get right back to you, okay?"

Donnie nodded. "That'd be great April, thank you."

Smiling, April nodded. "No problem. In fact," She stood, "I think I'd better get too it now. Bye guys, sorry about the short visit."

"No problem." "Maybe next time." The guys brushed her apology off.

"A short visit from good friends is better than a thousand letters, thank you April. Be safe on your way home." Master Splinter agreed.

"Right then, I'll call you tonight. Bye." She headed out, Leo quickly offering to escort her safely out of the sewers.

* * *

In her room, on the bed, Kit let out a slow breath of air. She had been sitting as quietly as possible since that woman –April?- had shown up. The turtles knew a human, that much should have been obvious from the IV setup and Kit was pretty sure she could recall Mikey talking about a friend of theirs sometime.

Still, Kit was relieved to hear the woman leaving quickly. As she began to relax Kit wrapped her good arm around her knees and stared around the room quietly, her eyes drifting from the foot of the bed to the box of comics she'd barely touched since Mikey had brought it in and finally coming to rest on the backpack.

Whatever she was thinking lay hidden behind half lidded eyes as she flexed her fingers against the material of her sling.


	21. Chapter 20 Restless

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter twenty; Restless

* * *

Donnie glanced at the clock and sighed. "She's just as bad as Raph… or you." He grumbled.

Leo looked ready to object, but decided to change his words to a slightly different topic, "You're going to go check on Kit?" He asked.

Donatello nodded. "It's been five days, two more and her bed rest will be over but I'm beginning to think I'll have to tie her down for that time period…" A thoughtful look shadowed his features. "If we tied her down we wouldn't have to worry about finding ways to keep her here during the rest of her recovery…" He mused, less than half-joking.

"Maybe I should go check on her this time?" Leo suggested. "You're busy testing the pipes, right?"

"Yeah, that's true… would you mind? She can be stubborn. Although her mouth isn't as bad as Raph's she's just as bad as you."

Leo gave his brother an un-amused look before leaving the area Donnie had claimed as his own. He walked around the lair, narrowly avoiding a collision with Mikey as the excitable turtle dashed to the monitoring area with a soda and kept walking until he arrived at Kit's door.

On the other side of the door Kit was not sitting in bed. Nor was she sitting on the floor, or doing anything that resembled resting. She wasn't even wearing her sling.

Instead Kit stood in the middle of the floor, feet just past shoulder width apart, stance low, slowing drawing her injured arm back from a punch. As she moved from the punch to a block, then a simple kick Kit continued to move in the same, slow motion. Leo could tell her breathing was controlled but with some difficulty and although the slight changes were very subtle Leo was more than adept at recognizing the tell-tale signs of frustration.

A slight shiff of quiet skin on stone reached Leo's ears as she shifted her position slightly to block further to the side with her un-injured arm. This shift in position brought Leonardo into her field of vision. Suddenly she stiffened and a slight noise of surprise came from her throat as she flinched and fell clumsily to the floor.

Shaking his head slightly, Leo stepped forward to help her up. "I don't suppose you didn't see that?" Kit asked sheepishly. "Um… I was sleep walking?"

"Yes, I'm going to have to tell Donnie you were out of bed." Leo answered the question she hadn't asked.

"Great, I'll have someone to talk me to sleep tonight." Kit grumbled as she went back to the bed and grabbed her sling.

"You know he means well, we all do." Leo told her.

Kit's ears drooped as she pulled the sling back on. "Yeah… I know…" She mumbled something that Leo didn't quite catch.

He tilted his head. "What?"

"Nothing." The tone of her voice made it very clear that while there was something, she didn't want to elaborate on it and seemed rather tired of whatever it had been. "I just… I'm sorry."

Leo smiled slightly, reaching forward he flicked one of Kit's ears slightly. She jumped and slapped her good hand over the offended ear. "What was that for?!" Kit demanded, staring at Leo in absolute shock and more than a little embarrassed. "Geeze! Do I go around messing with your head?"

Her annoyance only made Leo smile a little more. "Then keep those ears up and I won't have to." He scolded lightly. "If Mikey saw you looking like that you would have been either tickled or squashed."

Despite her best efforts not to Kit found herself starting to smile. Under her hand her ear twitched and tried to follow the other one as it straightened up. "Good point." Kit lowered her hand as she agreed, both rueful and amused. Leo nodded, then reached around Kit to grab the blankets.

"Now, bed! You've got two days left, I'm sure you can make it." He insisted.

"Right." Kit agreed in an emotionless voice.

"You'll live." Leo assured her. "By the way, where did you learn to do that?"

"Do what?" Kit asked, settling back against the pillow behind her.

"That kata you were doing." Leo explained. "The one I'm going to have to tell Don about." He smirked slightly.

Kit cringed, sinking under the covers some. "Right, that… do you have to?" She whined a little but unlike Mikey she didn't pout or try to look cute or pout, but she didn't grouch like Raph or act overly agreeable like Don did. She was willing to deal with the consequences, but not looking forward to them.

Leo considered. "Tell me where you learned that kata, and how to fight, and I might forget a few details in the meantime." He hinted.

"You really want to know that badly?" Kit asked, amused. Leo shrugged slightly. Kit smirked and mimicked the gesture. "Karate class. I took it for a few years. Big mystery, huh?"

"Karate class?" Leo was skeptical. "You learned how to break that pin in a karate class?"

Kit blinked, "Ah, that? No, I had to figure that one out on my own."

"On… your…" Leonardo blinked. "That's it, when Don gives you the clear I'd like to see just how much you know."

"Um…" Kit seemed to be seeing something that wasn't there. "That would be fun. Maybe." She didn't sound too convincing.

Sensing that she didn't want to talk anymore, Leo started out the door. "Try resting this time, you'll recover much faster." He advised. In reply Kit stuck her tongue out at him before he left.

Leo returned to Donatello's work station where his brother was looking at something under his precious microscope.

"She wasn't resting, was she?" Donnie guessed.

"Nope." Leo confirmed.

"Not even on the bed?"

"Not even on the bed."

Don looked up from the microscope, both amused and annoyed. "What was she doing?" He asked in a long-suffering voice.

"Physical therapy." Leo said. At the strange look Don gave him Leo clarified, "She was running through a very basic kata. She was taking it slow and I don't think she pushed herself too much."

Despite Leo's attempts to placate his brother Donnie looked more annoyed now than he had before. "Bed rest for a week. Are there any words in that order that are too large to understand?" With a sigh he brought his hand to his mouth, considering. "We might have to sneak up the timeline on our little trick." He suggested.

"Think she'll fall for it?" Leo asked.

Donnie shrugged. "I don't know, but our other option is letting her run off on her own without taking time to recover properly."

Leo sighed. "Letting her do that would be irresponsible, she's just a kid." Donnie chuckled a little, confusing Leo. "What?"

"I asked. She's _just_ over a year younger than us." He explained. "Rather ironic that we would be calling her a 'kid'."

Shaking his head, Leo argued, "She's not used to this city or these sewers and that makes a big difference." Donatello had to agree with that, although he idly wondered what it would be like were the situations reversed and the turtles lost in Kit's stomping grounds. "So what do you think, we tell her today or tomorrow?"

Donnie considered. "If she's been doing exercises of any kind she'll probably wear herself out. It should be fine if we wait till tomorrow."

* * *

Early the next morning Raph opened his eyes and discovered he was in complete darkness. He grabbed at his face with one hand and pulled the blanket off, then sat up and glared at his happily sleeping brother.

They had turned down the option for bunk beds like Leo and Donnie's because Raph couldn't sleep with Mikey tossing and turning on the bunk above him and Mikey couldn't sleep with Raph on the upper bunk, he kept complaining that Raph's snoring was in stereo that way. Instead they had their own beds on different sides of the room, but that didn't stop Mikey from trying to cut down on Raph's volume anyhow.

Raph tried to push aside a bitter thought that he'd have his own room if their dear little kitty patient hadn't shown up. Instead of dwelling on that fact he climbed out of bed and went to the restroom to take care of some business.

When he came out of the bathroom Raph really wasn't in the mood to try and go back to bed, so he looked around the lair and tried to decide what else to do. Didn't want to watch television, it was too early to really get into abusing the punching bag, and didn't want to fight with the plumbing explosion in the kitchen to get something to eat. Raph was thinking about maybe just trying to find a good book when a sound caught his attention. It had been short, just a quiet shiff and a snap, but it was a very unusual sound to him. He'd heard it before, but he couldn't place just where.

Looking around to try and place it, or hear it again, Raph noticed something out of place, or more accurately –some _one_ out of place.

Kit nearly jumped out of her fur and skin respectively when a large hand landed on her shoulder. "Where ya goin'?" Raph growled.

Her surprise was quickly replaced by annoyance as she pulled free of his grip. "Where I want." She replied, then tried to step past him.

Raph easily grabbed the strap of her backpack and pulled her back the distance she'd just walked trying to get past him. "No ya ain't. Yer goin' right back ta bed." He stepped between Kit and the exit she'd chosen, physically barring her way. Leo came out of the room he shared with Donnie, concerned about the voices he heard. He stepped out far enough to see up to the second level where the confrontation was taking place and grimaced, but didn't interfere.

"Move out of my way." Kit's words were bitten off and angry. She had taken a step forward and Leo was about to say something as a warning but the words didn't come.

"Yer not leavin. Don says ya ain't ready." Raph insisted, his eyes flashed as they always did when challenged.

"Tell the good doctor I said thanks, but I'm leaving." Kit moved to step around Raphael but he caught her arm and pushed her back. Perhaps because he was so used to his brothers, maybe because he was angry but the push he gave her caused Kit to stumble back and land hard on her rear.

"Raph!" Leo started but before he could get any further Kit growled.

"You asked for it punk!" She leapt at Raph and tackled him to the floor. Raph even had time to decide whether or not it'd be worth Donnie's temper to fight back the mutant cat was gone and the door Donnie had put over the hole in the wall was closing. "Don ain't gonna like this." Raph grunted as he sat up. "Mikey neither."

Leo had already leapt up to the second floor and tried chasing after Kit, but she'd already moved out of hearing range. Quickly Leo made the run to her place, only to discover it untouched since he'd packed her things.

By the time Leo returned to the lair nearly half an hour had passed and Raph was grouchily taking it as Donnie ranted at him. "Raph! She's sick! How could you not stop her?"

"Don!" Leo called, dropping down to the main floor as he came in. "Calm down, Raph tried to stop her, she caught him by surprise."

"We have to go after her!" Donnie started but Leo held up a hand.

"Don, we don't have the right to force our help on her." He insisted.

Donnie resisted, ready to run out after his patient, but slowly he relented, backing down. "You're right." He admitted reluctantly.


	22. Chapter 21 Rain Song

I do not own the TMNT

Chapters from here on out take place after the events of "Meet Casey Jones"

* * *

Chapter twenty-one; Rain Song

* * *

Near one of the paved paths in Central Park, long after the visitors and pedestrians had gone, a bush shook as something pushed past it.

"It's gotta be around here somewhere…" Raph growled. "I know I left it here… if one of those punks nicked it they'll pay…" A soft sound alerted Raph to someone behind him and he quickly turned around, slipping into a defensive position.

Kit stood in the middle of the pathway looking at him without expression and holding the helmet that Raph had been searching for. "Looking for something?" She asked. Tossing it underhand she warned lightly, "Catch." And Raph did.

"You again?" Raph demanded testily. "Thought you skipped town."

The feline smirked. "Thought you were told to stay away from the surface." Raph glared. Technically he had permission... at least he had last night... but he didn't want to tell _her_ that. Before he could come up with a reply the mutant turned and headed for the other side of the path, deeper into Central Park.

"Wait!" Raph called before he could talk himself out of it. Kit paused just inside the tree line. There wasn't any reason for Raph to want to keep her around, but Raph knew if he didn't at least talk to her a little his brothers would probably never let him hear the end of it. Thinking fast Raph asked, "Where was it?"

Kit turned around and answered with a careless half-shrug, "Took it off some punk. Figured you'd want it back."

"How'd ya know it was mine?" Raph asked before thinking. He looked inside it, surely Donnie wouldn't be nutty enough to put a nametag in it and while the lining was cut for a turtle head it wasn't _that_ different from a regular helmet.

Kit pointed at it for a second, like she was going to say something obvious about it, then paused and dropped her hand before crossing her arms across her chest before finally shrugging. She looked either annoyed or embarrassed about something. "Doesn't matter." With that she turned and headed into the park, soon disappearing in the trees.

Before she was out of sight Raph noticed that her tail was tucked in her pants again. Raph cringed. "How can anyone wear them things?" He muttered.

* * *

"So she looked alright?" Donnie asked.

Raph shrugged, keeping his attention on wrapping a fresh layer of tape around his punching bag. "She acted like she was okay. Still favored her arm a bit but otherwise; okay." Donnie nodded and dropped the subject. He was still a little annoyed that his patient had run out on him but if she was doing well by herself after two weeks she'd probably be alright.

"Wonder why she's sticking around." Mikey commented. He'd been sitting nearby listening to the entire conversation. At first he'd been a little bummed that Kit had left without saying goodbye, but soon he'd been back to his old self and had admitted that he really hadn't expected her to stay, she didn't seem the type. Still, he was happy to hear the news of their temporary guest.

Leo was also close enough to join in on the conversation. "I just hope she has somewhere to stay." He said. "The city's supposed to get some rain this week."

After that their conversations turned to other matters.

* * *

It wasn't too many nights later that Leonardo's prediction came true. Sure enough clouds gathered and soon a light sprinkling turned to a steady drizzle with eventually gave way to a good healthy rain. The residents looked out their windows and smiled, thinking how nice the air would feel after a good scrubbing like this. The homeless either retreated to the city's many shelters or found shelter of their own at bus stops or under old tarps.

In Central Park the rain fell heavy and straight, pattering loudly against the leaves before slipping down and eventually reaching the grass. In one of the trees Kit had rested her back pack on one branch and herself on another branch. She sat with her back to the trunk and one leg drawn up close to herself while the other rested outstretched on the branch.

Her eyes were at a relaxed half-mast as she lazily looked through the leaves to where the rain was falling. Each drop, straight down. From time to time an ear would twitch when something nearby splashed but otherwise she sat quietly and motionless for several minutes before taking a long, slow breath through her nose and letting it out in a short sigh. "Still smells like a city." She muttered.

The rain didn't argue with her so Kit remained on her little branch, listening.

Without seeming cause Kit's ear twitched. Irritably Kit rubbed at it, as though not quite use to the motion. A slight sound seemed to find its way through the rain and Kit sat up slightly, trying to decipher the noise. It had been quiet, more like mud squishing than anything but what made it and why it had come all the way through the curtain of sound made by the rain confused Kit. Even the guy who usually spent the night on the bench across the pond had chosen to seek shelter so maybe it was a stray?

Once again Kit's ears twitched, as though focusing on something she couldn't quite catch. Kit pulled up the hood of the jacket she'd… _liberated_ from one of the many punks that wandered the park in good weather. After pulling the sleeves down to provide extra cover for her hands Kit carefully climbed down from the tree and looked around, staying close to the trunk just in case.

All around her the park was in a haze of humidity and rain. The nearest tree was heavily blurred and anything else was just a ghost in the distance.

Still, Kit caught something. It was quick and she didn't see _it_ so much as movement, a quick move to the side, parallel to the ground and suspiciously contradicting the very regular fall of the rain.

"Dumb mongrel." Kit murmured, convinced only a stupid dog would be out in this rain. She turned to climb back up into the tree and off the damp ground but another flash of movement caught her eye. Somehow she _knew_ this wasn't a dog. This time Kit tisked, "What kind of idiot…" She murmured under her breath as she pocketed her hands.

The rain padded solidly against the material of her hood as she stepped out from the shelter afforded by the branches. Her feet sunk into the grass until she could just feel the water seeping up under the pads of her bare feet. After walking several yards in the direction of the movements she'd seen Kit paused and looked around, trying to catch some sign of the person who'd decided that it was fun to stand out in the rain.

Nothing. For a minute Kit stood there quietly looking around. She let the air pass through her nose, not sure if she'd be able to use anything she picked up. Under the increasingly heavy material of the hood Kit's ears twitched, trying to hear anything past the rain. The fur at the corners of her mouth bristled slightly as she frowned. A hiss, almost like a human voice, came from Kit's right. She turned in that direction but didn't see anything. With a snort Kit turned to go back to her tree. If someone was too stupid to get out of the rain it really didn't matter to her who it was.

Hardly had Kit taken three steps back to her tree before she was grabbed from behind.


	23. Chapter 22 Under Attack

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter twenty-three; Under Attack

* * *

A hand suddenly grabbed Kit's jacket.

It gripped high enough that with a quick jerk her hood fell back, uncovering her head and face. Snarling, Kit spun, aiming a fist at whoever it was that was behind her. She missed, her fist barely brushing the clothes of the man behind her as he moved back. For a heartbeat Kit was able to see him clearly, her eyes widening slightly when she saw that whoever it was had dressed completely in black from his mask to his feet save for a red symbol on his tunic…

And he was armed with a real sword.

Kit barely had time to stumble out of the way as the man swung his weapon down at her. He twisted and Kit dodged to the side to avoid a spin kick and an instant after that Kit was dodging his blade again. The masked swordsman swung his blade around in a full circle, forcing Kit to act faster or get sliced. Kit dropped into a sweep, trying to slow the guy down but he easily avoided her kick and answered by stabbing at her with his sword, an attack from which Kit barely managed to leap out of the way.

The next attack Kit dodged by leaping to the side into a dive roll designed to carry her clear and allow her to start running. No sooner had she regained her feet than she was sliding through the rain-slicked grass trying to stop short. She spat a curse. "There's two of you!?"

There were indeed, only this one carried a staff that before Kit even knew he held it slammed into her side, knocking her to the ground. Immediately Kit was rolling, saving her from a second strike from the staff. If it had not been raining so heavily for so long Kit would have been open for another strike, but the man with the staff was slowed when his weapon stuck for a moment in the muddy ground. In the short time it took him to release the staff Kit had regained her feet and was now running away with the swordsman not far behind her.

Another figure appeared in the dark ahead of her and was clearly armed as well with yet another sword. Kit dug in and ran forward as though to charge, then dropped at the last possible moment, using the rain-slicked grass to slide right under this third figure. Just as she passed something struck the earth with a metallic thud.

Kit was soon on her feet once more. She leapt for the tree and quickly climbed up, using claws and prior knowledge of the plant to climb faster. Behind her the bark crunched as she was followed but Kit didn't slow. Her backpack was left behind as Kit climbed rapidly past it. She could hear another person climbing behind her and wasn't about to slow and grab her things.

Taking advantage of her small size; Kit climbed up until the branches started to thin and could barely hold her weight. The person following her was forced to slow and pick their hand and footholds more carefully as the wood became thinner and they reached branches high enough to be slicked by rain. On the last branch that could fully support her weight Kit quickly climbed on top, then gripped a nearby branch for balance and stood before looking down. Far too close for comfort one of her attackers persisted in following her. With a soft growl Kit took several steps forward until it was clear the branch would have snapped if she weren't holding on so tightly to the other branch, dividing her weight. The figure following her grabbed the branch, causing it to sag further. Purposefully Kit released the branch she was supporting herself with. As soon as her weight fell fully onto the branch beneath her feet it bent too low to stand on, dropping Kit.

Durring the fall Kit grimaced and grabbed at the lower branches, snapping twigs, striping leaves and slowing her fall significantly until she hit the ground in a crouch, grunting painfully and clutching her injured side as she stood. She looked up in time to see the second figure coming at her with his staff at the ready. Rather than stick around and try to fight him Kit turned and fled.

Kit darted through the rain, eyes squinted against the rain lashing against her face freely now that the hood wasn't protecting her. She didn't bother to look behind her to see if the other guy was still following, from time to time she could hear a splash. It was creepy how little else she was hearing from him even considering the heavy rainfall. Normally there would be the sound of footsteps, heavy breathing, friction on clothing and a dozen other sounds but Kit hardly heard anything other than the rain.

Up ahead was a bush. Kit sprinted for it, knowing it marked a potential route of escape. Just a couple yards short of her goal she was tripped, the front of one foot and the back of her other leg stinging painfully as her legs tangled with the wooden staff. She landed on her side and saw one of the swordsmen jump at her. Although Kit pushed herself up and out of his way she only moved directly into the path of the other swordsman. He caught her with a jump kick that drove her back down to the ground, face in the drenched grass and mud, helpless against the full grown man bracing one foot on her back.

"RAAH!" A stab of pain in her shoulder and suddenly the man's weight was gone from Kit's back. Quickly she pushed herself up and looked around to find out what happened.

One swordsman was on the ground, not moving, the second was engaged in combat with another armed opponent. Kit barely recognized the opponent to be one of the turtles. Further identification would have to wait until Kit found the man with the staff and if he wasn't in front of her then he must be…

With a grunt Kit threw herself forward and was rewarded with the sound of something splashing into the ground. Turning, Kit faced the man with the staff in time to block another strike with her arm angled to deflect the force somewhat. The blow, even with the force deflected, sent pain through her arm and shoulder like shattering glass. Still, it opened up a momentary weakness in her opponent's defenses, allowing Kit to leap at him, tackling him, and start throwing punches before they'd even hit the ground. After getting the man down Kit managed to get in another good hit before he hooked his staff under her throat and pushed her back. Kit grabbed his mask, pulling it so that material covered his eyes and the rain soaked material plastered to his skin when Kit released it, effectively blinding him.

Kit stood and the man with the staff easily regained his with a graceful leap, only to blindly meet Kit's foot firing off a kick that sent him back to the ground.

Quickly Kit turned back to the turtle. The second swordsman was now on the ground, as still as his two companions and for some reason the turtle was jumping out of the tree. The red mask revealed his identity to be Raphael. He threw something at her and Kit barely had time to catch her backpack before she found herself being hauled off her feet and thrown over the turtle's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "WHAT THE HE…!!!" What would have been a brilliant threat was suddenly cut off both by his shell driving into her gut and the sight of the shadows of Central Park coming to life. "…?"

Raphael, despite his somewhat stocky build, was fast. He ran in the direction Kit had attempted earlier, easily leaping the bush she'd been stopped short of. Once he'd cleared the bush Raph darted across a small foot path towards a clearing. The ground dropped suddenly and Raph jumped without hesitating. His landing again jammed the ridge of his shell into Kit's stomach, nearly making her drop her bag and forcing a pained grunt.

From the bottom of the drop it was clear to see that the landscaping was there to disguise a large drainage tunnel. Raph hurried into the tunnel entrance and continued to carry Kit until they reach a gate several yards inside. Quickly he opened the gate and once on the other side he set Kit down and turned to quickly lock the gate the way it had been before he'd come through earlier. With the lock taken care of the two mutants ran down the tunnel until a bend took them out of sight from anyone who might find the entrance. They quietly moved further and further into the tunnels, listening for anyone who might be pursuing them. Finally, after they'd traveled the equivalent of several city blocks Raph grunted "That should be enough. Those guys are good with numbers, not so good with gettin' dirty." Raph turned to Kit to see if she was alright...

... and got a bruised jaw for his trouble.

* * *

Where I come from, sucker punching is a sign of endearment! Really! What? You don't believe me? Would you believe it's gratitude?

Me neither.


	24. Chapter 23 Lost Kitten

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter twenty-four; Lost Kitten

* * *

Raphael's fist stopped just as he'd begun to swing. It took an Olympian effort to contain himself enough to lower it. "What the _shell_ was that for!?" His voice barked out with the sound of a thousand death threats and his fist still hovered just high enough to fire off if necessary.

"For picking me up! Do I look like a doll to you?" Kit snapped. The answer would have been laughable if she weren't so genuinely angry. Unlike the icy glare Raph had grown used to her current expression held fire. She was spitting mad, and despite what had just happened she still wanted to fight.

Still, she was less than half his size, hardly intimidating. "And what? I was supposed to leave you on your own? You couldn't handle three of those guys, not ta mention a hundred or somethin'." Raph retorted. "The last thing I'm gonna do is stand there and watch somebody get butchered."

"Fine! Thanks for saving me. Happy?" The only thing sincere about her words was the sarcasm. With a mock salute Kit slung her bag over her shoulder, only to make a barely contained, pained noise and drop the bag and clutched at her shoulder.

"Looks like one of those guys caught you." Raph noted smugly. He couldn't really tell where exactly; she was dripping wet and her black clothes and fur made it impossible to tell if she were bleeding.

"Thank you Captain Obvious." Kit growled between her teeth as she picked up her bag again, this time hanging it off the other shoulder. She started off down the tunnels.

"I wouldn't go that way... 'nless ya wanna get gassed of course." Raph called. The turtle was enjoying this way too much.

The mutant stopped and turned back to him. "Gassed?" She asked, as if she hadn't heard right.

"Yeah, gas." Raph confirmed with a careless shrug. "City's gassin' some of the tunnels this week. Cuts down on the rats."

Narrowing her eyes in disbelief Kit asked, "You mean poison gas? And they're pumping that into the sewers?"

"People don't like a lot a' rats runnin' around, you know?"

"Right." Kit mumbled. With a slightly miffed noise she turned and headed back the way they came.

"What, ya think them ninja are gonna treat ya any better than the gas?" Raph scoffed. "Or maybe ya want them ta kill ya nice and fast?"

Again Kit stopped. Her ears were stiff, as if she were forcing them to remain up and her whiskers bristled. Raphael could actually hear a faint clacking as she ground her teeth in frustration. Raph was definitely enjoying seeing her get so worked up; he didn't like her attitude one bit and unlike Leo she didn't start lecturing when she was angry. Raph leaned against the tunnel wall as if he had all day… which he kind of did. It was entertaining, watching her stand there, trying to come up with a solution. She knew he was watching her and that added to her frustration.

Before long the tension in her body reached such a level that she was actually shaking under the strain. Raph saw this and frowned, trying to figure out why she didn't just ask already. He could easily take her back to the lair; nobody would turn her away since she obviously needed help. Was her pride really that bad? The tremors running through her had to be doing a real number on her injured shoulder.

Finally Raph rolled his eyes and spoke as if it made no difference to him one way or another; "Ya know, if ya asked nice…shell, ya wouldn't even have to ask, Don'll patch your shoulder up and I'm sure Master Splinter'll let ya hang out for a couple days until the gas clears." He shrugged, making it sound as if they made a habit of letting people he didn't like run in and out of the lair.

Despite his attitude Raph watched Kit carefully. The ears seemed to relax, the teeth grinding stopped and her whiskers drooped a little. It was everything Raph could do not to look triumphant when she hitched the strap of her pack a little higher and turned to him. He wasn't expecting it when she told him quite honestly. "Your family probably has enough trouble to deal with without me. Thanks for the save... both of them. Bye."

Raph blinked. She'd actually sounded honest this time, genuinely honest. For a moment there she'd seemed like a person, not some prissy pampered Persian. He watched her as she calmly turned and started back into the tunnels. A few yards away she turned into an adjoining tunnel and had just begun to step out of sight when Raph lifted his voice slightly to ask. "Ya ain't got nowhere ta go… do ya?"

She stopped, her backside still in view. A silent confirmation that he'd struck the target dead on.

Pushing away from the wall, Raph walked slowly toward her. "Ya don't know these tunnels well enough to stay in the sewers. Probably get lost all the time, right?" He was close enough to see her face by now but she didn't appear to be reacting to his words. Raph stopped walking but kept talking. "Topside's got punks and way too many humans, ninja too. If ya traveled this far across the country ya had ta have a pretty darn good reason to leave home and if ya haven't left the island yet ya prob'ly don't know where else ta go."

"I'll figure something out." Kit said without emotion, her gaze was slowly dropping to the floor of the tunnel.

Raph crossed his arms loosely in front of him. "Right, cause there are so many places ta live in hiding from _everyone_." He sighed, mentally berating himself as he tried to drop the sarcasm and attitude. She was cornered, so to speak, she didn't need him to attack her. "Listen, I don't know why ya feel ya gotta do this on your own, but it's a bad idea. If ya don't let someone help ya your just gonna get yourself killed."

"… … … …" Although her words weren't discernable Raph could see her mouth move and hear the faint sound of her voice hanging in her breath. Her own attitude had dropped and she looked defeated, lost. Raph found himself wondering what she'd just said, he got the feeling that if he knew that much that he'd know how to respond.

Although the tension had left her she was still shaking, shivering now more than emotional conflict. Water was still dripping from her jacket and pooling around her feet. A couple drops had even been adventurous enough to gather on her chin or whiskers and take the fall from there. She really did look pathetic.

For once Raph's aversion to talking came in handy. He'd had enough and he wasn't about to leave her there looking like an abandoned child/pet/whatever. Now done with talking he grabbed her bag, still slung over one shoulder, and started off down the tunnel. "Move yer shell –eh- tail." He grumbled. "If ya catch cold Don'll never let me hear the end of it.

Kit stumbled along behind him, refusing to let go of her bag and lacking any grounds or even real motivation to fight him on the matter. For several blocks Kit just stared at the back of his head, trying to figure out what he was up to. Although she didn't find any answers she did find a loose end. "Hey, what were you doing out there anyway?" Kit asked. "It's raining so hard even the strays aren't chancing it."

"Turtle." Raph said, tapping his shell with his free hand while still more or less dragging Kit along behind him. "Some kind a' water turtle, dunno which one but I know we like water, any kind, just love it."

"Right." Kit called skeptically, she wasn't fooled in the least and his bland tone of voice wasn't helping his argument much. "I'm sure you were just out there singing in the rain."

"I don't sing, now are ya gonna hurry up or do I have to carry ya?"

This time Raph managed to avoid getting hit.


	25. Chapter 24 Single Black Female

I do not own the TMNT

... wow, an update.

* * *

Chapter twenty-five; Single Black Female

* * *

"But!...I…!?" Kit couldn't object very well as she found herself being shepherded through the bathroom and into the shower.

"Just take your clothes off and toss them over to me." Donatello ordered before pulling the shower curtain shut.

"But-" Kit tried to argue again, only to be interrupted.

"No buts, you need to get out of those wet clothes and warmed up before you catch cold, or worse, have a relapse. The last thing you need is to get sick again and-" The shower curtain suddenly opened and Kit threw her sopping wet t-shirt at Donnie, nailing him right in the face before closing the curtain again. "But you already knew that… right?" He was answered by a pair of pants flying over the curtain rod and nearly hitting him with the same accuracy that the shirt had. Donnie reached through the curtain and turned the water on.

"GAH!" Kit exclaimed when the cold water hit. A moment later the water heated up and she changed her shouting to the tune of, "JEEEYEEY!"

Smug, Donnie peeled the shirt off his face and picked the pants up off the floor. "I'll put your clothes somewhere to dry." He called before leaving. As he closed the door behind him Donnie was sure he heard some muttered curses.

In the main room of the lair he looked the shirt over. Sure enough there was a small cut in the shoulder and a pinkish discoloration that surrounded the hole and ran clear down to the waist. The pants held a slight darkening at the waist but below that the rain had washed the denim clean of all traces of blood. The size of the mark seemed to have been caused more by the water than by actual blood content so Donnie was gambling on getting her warm and relatively dry before he tried to talk her into holding still so he could bandage the cut.

In the kitchen Mikey had jerry-rigged a wire across the kitchen and had already hung Kit's jacket so that the heat from the oven could dry it faster. "Dude, there has got to be a better way." Mikey noted as he took the clothes Donnie handed over and hung them beside the jacket.

"I'll look into it." Donnie assured him. They'd never had a dryer before; maybe it would be worth repairing one from the junk yard? Or maybe he should put something else together…

"… so you're saying she purposefully jumped from the top of a tree?" Leo asked, sounding half convinced already as he and Raph entered the kitchen.

Raph shrugged. "Looked like it." He grunted.

"How did you talk her into coming back?" Leo headed for the stove and picked up the kettle to fill with water.

"Eh…" the hotheaded one hesitated, "Not'in' much. Just told her the facts… and I might a' mentioned somethin' about the city gassin' for rats."

Leo, Don, and Mikey looked up from what they were doing. "Gassing for rats?" Donnie asked. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly but he casually brushed his hand across his beak to resist the urge to grin.

A small light of amusement danced in Leo's eyes at the news as well. "You told her about that?"

"Whatever." Raph replied diplomatically, pulling his newly dried mask from the line and tying it into place as he left the kitchen.

Donnie allowed a slight smile when he was sure his brother was out of sight. "Who would of believed Raph would tell her that?" He chuckled. Leo nodded as he prepared some cups for tea, fully agreeing.

Mikey looked confused. "But… I thought the city didn't-"

"How's dinner coming along, Mikey?" Leo interrupted.

"Fine." Mikey quickly assured him, just in case Leo offered to help. Donnie snickered as he too left the kitchen.

Heading for the corner with his lab took Donnie back in front of the bathroom door. He heard the water still running and was about to pass the door when a loud thump and an equally loud curse caught his attention. Donnie paused, listening, and a few seconds later he heard another curse, albeit more quietly. Carefully Donnie knocked on the door. "Hey, Kit? You alright in there?"

"Fine." Came the strained response. "I'm fine." A loud squeak and another thump argued against her case.

"I'm coming in." Donnie announced, opening the door slowly. As he did so the spray of water from the shower stopped. He couldn't see anything at first because the curtain was still drawn and the only sound was the showerhead dripping and a little water still draining. "Kit?" He asked softly.

A few moments of silence before he heard Kit's voice, too quiet to make out. "Um… what?"

"I'm stuck." Kit said just a little louder. "I slipped and fell… and I can't get up."

Immediately Donnie felt both sheepish and concerned. His brothers had commented that the tub was too slick in the bottom, but since nobody had fallen he'd put it a little lower on the list than it probably deserved. What he couldn't understand was why she couldn't get up again. "Okay, hang on a sec." Donnie grabbed a towel and pulled the curtain back.

Kit sat in the bottom of the tub glaring at the space in front of her with the same icy hostility she'd had when they first met her. Beneath her water and soapsuds trickled past on their way to the drain. On either side there were faded pink smears on the walls of the tub. Frowning, Donnie reached down and picked up one hand to examine the palm, Kit permitted this but did not look at him.

Each of Kit's three fingers, as well as the thumb, exhibited areas of slightly thickened skin where humans typically had fingerprints. Her palm had similar pad that wrinkled similar to a normal hand. Everywhere there wasn't this padding there was short, thick, black fur. Everywhere these padded areas were was hatched with small scratches and cuts and smeared with just enough blood and water to make griping the sides of a slick tub impossible.

"You didn't tell me about this." Donnie accused lightly.

Kit pulled her hand back and continued staring forward. For a moment Donnie could almost see Leo, a couple years younger and smaller, glaring at the wall of their old home and pretending not to care that Mikey had just waxed his shell in training.

"Do you want help out of there, or are you going to wait until the bottom dries?" Donnie asked, only half joking.

A faint growl but Kit managed to add the word, "Please." Her ears pinned and her expression held the faintest hint out a snarl, just enough to reveal her sharp teeth. It was as though that one word acknowledging that she needed help was literally killing her.

Donnie dropped the towel he'd grabbed next to the tub. He then reached into the tub and hooked a hand under each of Kit's arms. With him bracing her, Kit was able to stand up and step out of the tub and onto the towel. Once her feet were reasonably dried she was able to pick the towel up and start briskly rubbing the excess water out of her fur. "Thanks." She managed to say without sounding too bitter.

"Believe it or not, you really are welcome." Donnie told her. "We're all more than happy to help out… even Raph."

The brisk rubbing of the towel slowed, and not because she was nearly done with that arm. "I know." Kit said quietly, and then added more sincerely, "And thanks."

Donnie smiled slightly; glad to see her doing something other than glaring. He reached for another towel. "Here, you need to dry off quickly so let me help." Don offered.

Kit looked ready to refuse him. A moment passed where she seemed on the edge of telling him to shove that towel someplace very painful, but instead she dropped her gaze to the floor. "Thanks… just watch the shoulder on the right, it's a little sore."

"No problem." Donnie assured her as he stepped behind her and carefully started drying her back while Kit worked on her arms and head.

* * *

Mikey hummed a little tune as he shuffled through Kit's bag. He'd already removed a really old book with faded lettering on the cover he couldn't read, some first aid stuff, a pair of scissors, a comb, and a few pairs of pants, but he was having trouble finding a shirt.

"Come here shirt… here shirty-shirty-shirty." He coaxed.

"What about one of these?" Leo asked, lifting a plain grey t-shirt from the small pile Mikey had collected.

"No good, check it out."

Leo did so and held the shirt up by its 'shoulders'. The back looked okay, but when he turned it around to look at the front Leo nearly dropped the shirt. A long cut went from the chest to the bottom of the shirt, splitting the front almost completely. The material was free of any hints of blood, so hopefully it had just been a close call. Inspection of the second shirt in the pile revealed the collar had been torn completely off, nearly taking one of the sleeves with it. The last shirt in the pile had stiffened into a wrinkled ball and stank slightly of pond scum.

"These pajamas look okay." Mikey announced, pulling a white outfit from the bottom of the bag.


	26. Chapter 25 April returns

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter twenty-six; April returns

* * *

"I was going to fix that." Kit muttered.

"I wasn't aware you knew magic." Donnie whistled, staring at the mangled shirt with the missing collar.

"It's not that bad." Kit snatched the shirt off the coffee table and proceeded to stuff it back into her backpack. Although she was acting aloof as ever her whiskers were flat and her ears stiff, a gesture that Master Splinter had often gotten when the family finally got public television and discovered how 'adult' programming could be.

Once the offending shirt was out of sight Kit zipped the bag shut with a quick motion and settled back on the couch running one hand ran over her scalp, leaving thin lines where her claws had pushed through damp fur. Her eyes seemed intently focused on something off to her right and well away from where Mikey was standing fighting between a pout and genuine concern.

"You know… we were worried about you." He said softly.

"Don't." Kit said simply, not as a way to cut the conversation off but as though offering advice. She shifted on the couch and pushed herself to her feet, heading to the kitchen to see if her clothes were dry yet. Mikey followed while Don headed for his lab. The turtle in purple was shaking his head but didn't seem frustrated, almost as if he were getting used to this behavior.

Mikey kept trying to get his point across to the cat. "You know, it's better hanging out with people. They can watch your back and hang out with you and… you know, 'being with people' stuff." He explained.

"So I've been told." Kit deadpanned. She entered the kitchen and shoved up the sleeves of a borrowed sweat shirt. The thing was huge on her, falling to the knees of her jeans and the sleeves were constantly slipping down over her hands. It wasn't the best option, but the strange white clothes Mikey had found were too small. The huge shirt also did wonders for making her look like a lost little waif. The appearance wasn't helping Mikey to drop the subject any.

"Hey, when the tunnels –uh- clear up, you don't have to leave." He suggested. Kit didn't respond as she ran her hands over the clothes hanging on what looked like some kind of electric wiring. She really hoped that wasn't plugged into a live feed, the thin bandages Don had insisted on wrapping her hands with wouldn't protect her from that kind of shock.

Mikey pouted a little at being ignored but before he could pursue the subject further he heard the relatively new sound of the stone elevator's doors opening. He grinned when he heard one of his brothers calling; "Hey! April!"

Pretty sure the two hadn't met, Mikey turned to Kit to ask her to come along, she suddenly seemed very interested in the hole in her sweatshirt. Sensing the cat didn't want to meet the human, Mikey frowned slightly before heading out to greet their friend.

Once the turtle was gone Kit looked up nervously before letting loose a pent up breath of air. She could hear them talking now –something about pesky Girl Scouts. It seemed innocent enough, but Kit still wanted no part of it. The shirt next to the sweat jacket was lightly stained and the pink tinges stated clearly that the shirt was not yet dry. "Great, first shoes, now shirts?" Kit growled, shifting her bare feet on the stone floor.

"Fortunately cloth is much easier to replace than food or shoes."

Kit jumped slightly before spinning to face Master Splinter. "You… what… huh?" She glanced behind her as if the answer to why everyone was sneaking up on her lately might be clinging to her back. Not finding the answer, she turned back to the rat. "I'm sorry, what?"

Master Splinter smiled. "Do not worry about your shirts. You seem an adept seamstress and material is not difficult to come by." He said. "And I thank you for fixing my sons' punching bag. They are quite hopeless with needles."

Again Kit's whiskers flattened and she kicked a little at the bag she'd dropped on the floor. "…-t's n-thing." She muttered. "…glad t'help." Abruptly she cleared her throat and turned to start taking her clothes off the wires. Shirt, pants, jacket, she didn't have much. Once those were down she climbed onto the counter to find out how the wire was attached to the wall. As luck would have it the over-large sweatshirt hooked her knee and in no time at all she was on the floor being reminded of every hurt she'd gained before and during the fall. Had the floor not been solid stone her landing would have made quite the thump.

Before Kit could even mentally scold herself a pair of thin but strong hands under her arms helped her to stand. "When we first met you had fallen off a ledge and landed on your feet with no ill effects." Splinter noted with amusement.

"That was a fluke." Kit mumbled, flinching as something painful was stressed.

Master Splinter made a soft noise of amused disbelief. Rather than pursue the subject he changed it. "I see my sons have informed you as to the… tunnels." He noted.

"Why does everyone stop before or after saying 'tunnels' now?" Kit observed curiously.

"A family such as ours tends to develop unusual habits." The rat sounded amused.

Kit frowned skeptically, but decided it wasn't worth pressing for more information. Instead she glared at the wire over her head and followed it to the other side, which didn't require treacherous counters to reach the end.

"I hope your stay this time will be much less tedious than the last." Master Splinter said conversationally. "Donatello will likely have no basis to keep you confined to your room and you are welcome to anything you should need."

"Eh… Thank you." Kit muttered. She sounded a little uncomfortable again as she released the end of the wire and began coiling it. Much to her surprise, by the time she'd finished Master Splinter was holding the other end of the wire. He wasn't any taller than her, probably a couple inches shorter, so Kit couldn't see how he'd get it without climbing up the way she'd tried, but for some reason the idea of him actually doing that didn't compute and refused to be accepted as a possibility.

Once the wire was coiled Kit picked up her backpack with a free hand and slung it over her shoulder. She nodded politely to Master Splinter before heading out into the lair.

At the time, April was out of sight, as were the turtles so that wasn't a big deal. They were probably somewhere looking at something or another. Kit hurried over to Don's lab area and glanced around until she selected a probable place to leave the wire where it would neither be in the way, nor be missed. She was on her way to the stairs when the main door of the lair opened and the five absent parties walked in.

"Wow, that's really impressive." April was saying, doubtlessly marveling at the improvements Donatello had made to the door's camouflage. Kit had to admit, it was pretty cool. She hadn't even seen it till it was already partially open. When April turned and obviously noticed Kit the mutant stiffened like a blinded deer. "Hello, you must be Kit. Looks like you're feeling better." The woman said, smiling genuinely and a slight guarded look covering her natural surprised interest at seeing yet another mutant.

"Yeah, much better." Kit answered in a tone that bordered on defensive. It was clear to the guys that she was pushing back up the walls she'd had in place when they'd first met her, perhaps even more. The cat managed a curt but polite, "Nice to meet you." before giving a short nod and hurrying to the stairs.

April looked helplessly to the guys. "Believe it or not, that went well." Leo explained.

"Don't take it personally." Donnie reassured her. "We got the same treatment… more or less."

"She might take ta' you better if ya hit her first." When his suggestion was met with glares from his brother's Raph only glared back. "That wasn't a joke." He insisted.


	27. Chapter 26 Talk isn't cheap

I do not own the TMNT

If anyone can give me better information regarding the legend at the end of this chapter I would be very grateful.

* * *

Chapter twenty-seven; Talk isn't always cheap

* * *

Michelangelo found Kit sitting in one of the smaller storage rooms on the second floor.

She sat next to the door facing the room with a somewhat challenging expression. Her body posture was like Raph when he was being bugged about something and didn't want to admit it: one leg pulled up so her arm could rest on it and the other lazily stretched out in front of her while she stared straight ahead, her free hand tapping irritably at the floor. Unlike Raph she had to pull down the back of her pants so her tail could lie more comfortably beside the out-stretched leg.

"You'll never make me believe those things aren't more pain than fashion. I mean… just yuck." Mikey snorted cheerfully as her flopped to the floor next to Kit. "I bet they chafe and itch and how do you even sit in those things?"

Kit stared at him, clearly not sure where that announcement and following question came from. "Hahn?"

"The pants." Mikey pointed, then shivered comically.

For a moment Kit continued to stare at him, the fur over her eyes tufting as she lifted her brows. Slowly the blank stare shifted into a slight smirk and an eye roll. She turned her gaze off in the general direction of the random items piled in the back of the room. Mikey seemed oddly comfortable with the silence that followed. He placed his hands behind his head and sighed contentedly as he leaned against the wall.

A few moments passed in peaceful silence, then tension slowly started creeping in. Michelangelo remained oblivious to this slight shift, but Kit couldn't resist breaking her aloof stare to glance at him. Not too much more time passed before she glanced at him again. Soon she'd had enough of glances and was staring at him with an increasingly dark expression.

Finally Michelangelo glanced at her. He smiled innocently. "Can I help you?" He offered innocently.

"You're pulling the same dirty trick Jess does." Kit accused.

Mikey blinked. "um…Who?"

Kit shook her head and returned to staring at the boxes and loose random junk in the back of the room. It amazed her how much stuff these guys seemed to have gathered. Hadn't somebody said this was their new place? "Jess, the best person in the world." Kit finally answered, a little wistfully. "She'd do the same thing you're doing now."

A bare moment of confusion passed before Mikey decided to go with it and grinned coyly. "So Jess is a _she_." He confirmed. "Is _she_ cute? Single?"

"Yes, but she's got a friend in New York with a habit of beating up her exes." Kit warned with an evil grin that showed off her sharp teeth just so.

"Ouch. How about you give me this Jess's number and not tell her friend in New York?" The ridges just under Mikey's mask waggled Marx-like. His joking finally prompted a short laugh from Kit. She sat back and crossed her arms loosely over her stomach, relaxing. Mikey noted this relaxation and hesitated before adding, "So… you're _not_ scared of girls?"

Kit sighed and stretched her hands high over her head. After enjoying the sensation for a moment she let her hands drop; and with one hand and a quick motion she had seized the knot on Mikey's mask. She gave a sharp jerk on the mask, yanking it out of place. "I _am_ a girl!" She insisted testily.

Mikey lifted the material of his mask to peak out at her, "Then what's your problem with April. She's cool."

The cat stiffened, then slowly relaxed. "Yeah, she's seems pretty nice." Kit confessed.

"So…?" Mikey prompted.

"So what?" Kit frowned, looking a little put upon.

"So what's with the cold shoulder?" Mikey pressed.

Kit opened her mouth to object, then paused to consider, and finally nodded agreement with the statement of her behavior. With a shrug she mumbled, "No use making friends, I'll be gone before long."

"Why?" The hurt tone in Mikey's voice actually made Kit flinch. "It can't be any fun being alone all the time. Master Splinter's okay with you hanging around, Leo and Donnie too and if Raph told you that-" The turtle stopped suddenly and earned a curious look from Kit. Quickly Mikey amended, "He's cool with it too."

Slowly Kit let go of whatever Mikey had almost said and continued the conversation. "It wouldn't be a good idea." She argued.

"Why?" Mikey asked again.

Her mouth opened to answer. Nothing came out. Kit stared at a point right over her nose as she tried to catch an answer, her mouth slowly closing as nothing came to her. Absently she'd begun rubbing one hand with the other, pressing her thumb firmly into the patch of furless skin on her palm. "Just…not a good idea." She repeated quietly, shrugging a little.

Michelangelo frowned at Kit. He didn't like what she was doing one bit. When his brothers got all quiet and not talking he knew how to get them out of it, but Kit was new. Rather than acting on years of experience as with his brothers, Mikey ran on instinct.

"Haugh!" Kit grunted and stiffened in total shock as an arm suddenly hooked her shoulders and pulled her into a short hug. She'd barely begun to realize what was happening before the arm released her and a hand landed between her ears and ruffled the fur briskly. "What the…!"

"Think about it." Mikey admonished cheerfully before jumping to his feet and skipping from the room.

Kit remained behind, smoothing her fur with one hand and staring at the door where she'd last seen the teenage mutant ninja lunatic. "What the…?"

* * *

Later that night;

"_Shhhh_!" Raph hissed. "If Kit hears ya you can bet she'll tattle to Master Splinter!"

"We shouldn't be doing this." Leo whispered, not for the first time.

"Come on Leo! April said _cake_! We gotta check it out!"

"I agree with Mikey."

The four slipped almost soundlessly into the elevator. The stone doors closed behind them and carried them away.

In the kitchen, Kit held a cup of tea so that the scent wafted up and provided the pleasant aroma to her consistently. "Do they ever check the kitchen?" She asked.

"Not that I am aware of." Master Splinter replied, calmly sipping his tea.

It had started as a simple restless night, but the faint scent of something- nice. Very nice- had convinced Kit to get out of bed and wander from where her bed had been moved in one of the smaller rooms upstairs down to the kitchen where Master Splinter was brewing tea. Although Kit couldn't stand the taste of tea, the smell was almost intoxicatingly delicious and when offered a cup she'd accepted one just half-ful.

Shortly after Kit and Master Splinter had settled with their respective cups the boys had made their 'daring escape'.

Kit shook her head slightly. "I hope I wasn't that obvious."

"I assume you do not mean the incident with Raphael." Master Splinter sounded amused.

"Eh…heh." Kit looked properly embarrassed. "Sorry about that." She muttered, taking a quick sip of her tea and avoiding eye contact.

Master Splinter smiled. "It is perfectly understandable." He assured her. Kit stared at him, her wide eyes faintly reflecting the dim lighting from some of the last crystals left in the kitchen. "Have you heard the tale of the golden bird?"

Kit considered. It rang a distant bell. Perhaps she'd heard it mentioned somewhere. "I don't remember it."

"The legend is not a widely known one." Master Splinter explained softly. "It speaks of a tiny, golden bird which flies the world throughout its lifetime. The bird can never land or it will perish."

The explanation was short, yet it left Kit staring intently into the rapidly cooling liquid in her cup.. "I think I've heard of it." She admitted. "Sad."

Master Splinter nodded and silence drifted through the kitchen as the two contemplated their thoughts and tea.


	28. Chapter 27 Almost Comfortable

I do not own the TMNT

Hopefully next chapter will have a somewhat thicker plot... but this one was too much fun to let go of.

* * *

Chapter twenty-eight: Almost Comfortable

* * *

Sometimes things just happen.

No one discussed it, but the bed that had been Kit's during her previous stay in the lair found its way into the small room Michelangelo had found Kit grousing in. The extra stuff was moved into another room and Raph was very happy to realize that even though the cat was staying with them he still had his own room.

Kit settled into the routine of the lair surprisingly well. She seemed fine with almost any situation whether the boys were starting WWIII over the remote or when she quietly did her own thing during ninja meditation sessions. She'd begun eating with everyone else in the dining area… or monitoring area, situation depending. One day after dinner she walked into the kitchen and informed Raph that Michelangelo was trying to set his hammock on fire. By the time he discovered the lie and returned Kit had managed to both finish the dishes and install herself into the rotation of household chores.

Although she seemed to be fitting in well enough, her backpack remained at the foot of her bed, still packed.

Master Splinter and Michelangelo seemed perfectly comfortable with Kit around. Raphael still held something of a distasteful attitude toward the mutant. Donatello was bursting with questions and in his attempt to not 'pester' their guest he'd taken to awkward silences and suddenly cutting himself off in the middle of sentences, confusing Kit to no end. Leonardo was just as curious as his brother, but often reminded Donatello of the importance of not asking potentially offensive questions.

"I know Leo, I know!" Don muttered, not for the first time. "I said I would be careful and I am!"

"Don, you keep starting to ask and stopping yourself after two or three words, is it really that hard?"

Donnie paused, considering. "Yes." He answered firmly.

"Then have you considered maybe a more round-a-bout way of asking?" Leo suggested.

"Of course I have." Donnie sounded strained, insulted even, by his brother's question. "But how am I supposed to beat around the bush and gradually bring the conversation around to 'hey, while we're on the subject; how _did_ you turn into a mutant?'"

"Um… bros?" Mikey cut in. "You could, like, ask." He picked up one of Donnie's tools and fiddled with it.

"Put that down." Leo and Don chorused.

Mikey dropped the tool and the other two flinched when it crashed loudly to the floor. He frowned at it before looking up to his brothers and chuckling sheepishly. "Heh, sorry." Quickly Mikey picked it up and put it back on the table before continuing. "She's cool. Sure Kit can grouch as much as Raphie, but she's okay to talk to."

"MICHELANGELO!"

Mikey looked thoughtful for a moment. "Usually." He amended quickly, then dove under Donatello's desk. Before settling down Mikey reached out and yanked Don's computer chair over to cover himself a little better.

Kit came running out of her room, down the fire escape, and straight toward Donatello's work station. She slid to a stop on the floor, leaving a wet streak on the stone. Despite the unusual situation she managed to politely ask. "Don? Would you mind moving so I can torture your brother for information?"

Don blinked. Leo scratched the back of his head before deciding his policy about trying not to offend her wasn't worth following. He chose to start asking questions, starting with the most sensitive one first. "Kit, where are your pants?"

"_That's_ what _I_ want to know!" Kit answered, waving the arm that wasn't holding her towel up. Her fur was wet and spiked all over except where she was covered by a T-shirt and the towel at her waist. Beneath the towel her tail lashed angrily.

"She's got a shirt, what's the problem?" Mikey asked.

"Where are my pants?" Kit demanded.

"Hey, you have claws on your feet, cool!"

Leo was about to intervene when Kit started growling, but she cut him off before he could say anything by turning on her heels and marching off.

"Mikey, what did you do this time?" Don asked. He didn't bother scooting his chair back to looking at the brother currently crouching under his desk.

"I'm just trying to show her how real ninja get around in the sewers. I mean, she's the only one around here wearing pants. Think of it as the _Path of Enlightenment!_" His words made the path of enlightenment sound more like the Twilight Zone… with less pants.

"Mikey…" Leo begun, sounding pained.

Whatever he was planning on saying was again cut off when Kit came marching back to the lab carrying something glossy. While she was gone she'd also tied the towel more securely around her waist so she'd have both hands free. "I don't know the first think about comics, but I do know if you put a protective cover on something it's got to be pretty darn important… right?" Kit demanded, holding up the comic she'd retrieved from Michelangelo's room.

And orange and green head peaked out from under the desk and eeped loudly. "Dude no! That's Silver Sentry issue #117, The Fall of the Green Mantle! You _can't_ get those anymore! Anywhere!"

"Yeah… doesn't ring a bell. Anyhow, my fur is damp and I'm pretty sure I can get the thing out of the cover, so where are my pants?

"In Don and Leo's room! Under the bunk bed!" Mikey squealed, "Don't hurt Silver Sentry."

"In _whose_ room, Mikey?" This time Don did roll his chair back to glare at Mikey.

Mikey didn't pay attention. He eeped loudly when Kit haphazardly tossed the comic on the partially empty surface of an off kilter file cabinet and hurried to retrieve it before it either fell to the floor or Kit changed her mind and decided to take it hostage again. Meanwhile Leo was following Kit to the room he shared with Don in order to ensure Mikey hadn't done any damage in there.

Once Mikey had assured himself that his precious comic was unharmed he gently hugged it to his plastron, then turned back to a seething Donatello. "Where was I? Hey! Right, anyway; Kit's pretty cool to talk to… usually. Go ahead and ask her anything you want." He grinned and leaned back against the file cabinet. The file cabinet promptly collapsed under the added weight, dumping Mikey into a nearby table. The table was little more secure than the cabinet and when Mikey's shell struck it a corner of the table snapped, breaking off the leg of the table and allowing the table to dump all its contents onto Mikey and the broken file cabinet. "Oops." He muttered.

Donatello had gone ghostly pale. He slowly stood to his feet and walked over to where Mikey had fallen. "I'm okay bro…" Mikey checked his comic. "_phew_, and so is Silver Sentry!"

Don ignored him and carefully picked up his microscope. The little mirror that powered it promptly snapped off and when it hit the floor the mirror shattered into five pieces. The base of the microscope hung loose and the monocular at the top had a large crack visible in the lense. In short; it was ruined. "Mikey…" Donatello sing-songed. "Little brother… please let me see your comic for a second." His voice dripped wrath.

"Uh…" Mikey thought for a second, absently wiping wrath drippings off his arm. "EEEEEEK!" With that he was on his feet and running, and enraged genius in hot pursuit.


	29. Chapter 28 Conditioned Response

I do not own the TMNT

Welcome to the MOST annoying portion of Kit's story! I've reworked the following chapters more than I've reworked any portion of any story I have EVER written. I'm still not happy with it, so hate it if you want. It was a pain keeping this from being cliche when in fact, it's critical to Kit's personal decision making process.

* * *

Chapter twenty-nine; Conditioned Response

* * *

Kit's eyes were wide, ears stiff and alert as her whiskers. It was clear that she was trying to keep her fur from standing on end. She was spooked, and with good reason. Any person, even one holding only the slimmest remnants of their sanity, would worry in that situation.

"…don't _find_ those in a dump. If they're in the dump they're not going to work, that's just the way it is. If he thinks for one _second_ that I'll be letting this one go…" The threats that followed made Kit cringe slightly. "Hold _still_!" Donatello snapped. The mutant cat froze. After a moment to assure himself that she wasn't going to move anymore, Donnie continued peeling the bandage off her shoulder. Kit's eyes had crossed slightly and she was trying not to reach for her shoulder as Donatello continued to pull the bandage off slow and steady.

"A microscope is a precision instrument requiring specialized equipment to manufacture or repair. It'll take me _months_ to figure out how I'm going to replace this one! Does he have any idea how far this will set me back in my work?"

"I'll talk, just make it stop." Kit whimpered. She squeaked loudly when Donnie removed the rest of the bandage.

"What was that?" Don asked, not having heard Kit's plea for mercy.

"Ow…" She replied, gripping her injured shoulder with one hand and blinking against the unappreciated stinging in her eyes.

Donnie glanced from Kit's shoulder to the tape on the bandage in his hand. "I'll have to remember to shave a wider area for the bandage to adhere to." He noted practically. Kit nodded. The bandage was tossed in the garbage and Don adjusted a nearby desk lamp to closer inspect Kit's shoulder. There was a patch of uniform black stubble through which pale grey skin was visible. The grey skin was further broken up by a couple of thin white lines and near the middle was a vivid pink area surrounding a nearly healed cut. "Looks like everything's healing up well." Don noted, gently inspecting the area. "The site is closed and scarring looks to be minimal. A light bandage for another couple of days and that should be it."

"Thank God." Kit murmured earnestly. She'd had almost all she could stomach of that tape.

"What?

"Thanks, good to hear." Kit covered.

Donnie reached into the first aid box and retrieved a gauze pad and medical adhesive, then turned back to his patient. He pondered as he performed the simple task of re-bandaging the shoulder, again seized with the desire to start asking questions.

Aside from the questions of her mutation, her life as a human, and all the others that everyone seemed to want to know, there were also the questions of the scars that had been revealed when Donnie was treating her injuries. How many did she have hidden under the fur? Were they from a lifetime of being a scrappy kid, or were they all new, or perhaps there was another explanation entirely? So many questions, but how to ask without offending her? Mikey had said it wasn't a big deal, but Mikey's name was mud at the moment and Don hesitated to take his advice.

Some tape stuck stubbornly to Don's hand. He grumbled something under his breath and stepped aside to peal it off. Finding medical supplies was hard enough, wasting what few supplies they could find was as annoying as… as… pesky brother's breaking your hard-earned microscope. No, not really, nothing topped that.

"**EYA-A-AUGH**!" Kit slapped her hands over her mouth to cut herself off from screaming some more or perhaps something more dishonorable –like crying. She jumped to her feet and spun around, ready to demand an explanation from Donnie but was surprised to find Donatello had one stubborn bit of tape on his thumb and was staring in shock at Mikey with a full gauze pad plus tape in hand.

"See? It's off!" Mikey said, smiling. "All done."

Donatello was too shocked to see the subject of his ire suddenly standing in front of him to react, Kit was in agony. Mikey was still smiling, convinced he'd done the right thing. "A quick yank is the best way."

Donatello was too shocked to see the subject of his ire suddenly standing in front of him to react, Kit was in agony. After several minutes Kit managed a growl. "Five second head start." She said.

Mikey's smile slipped. "What?"

"Time's up!" Kit leap-frogged the stool. Mikey might not have been a genius of Donatello's caliber, but he knew when it was time to flee. He did so now.

His path took him out of Donnie's lab, across the dojo including directly over Leonardo "Hey!" straight toward the kitchen only to turn at the last minute and make a full circuit of the lair's main floor. Confident in his speed, Mikeye risked a glance back over his shoulder. He nearly jumped out of his shell when he saw Kit still on his tail. She was starting to get winded, but there remained a dangerous fire in her eyes. Suddenly the lights went out and while there were still a couple stones left glowing around the lair the shift was enough that Mikey was blinded. Startled, he tripped on something unseen and when he tried to catch himself something plowed into his shell. The lights came back on just as Mikey hit the floor and revealed Kit triumphantly on his shell with a fist in the air, ready to strike. Donatello stood more or less innocently next to the master power switch.

Mikey let loose with a scream and Leo barely had time to utter a confused, "What?" before Kit swung.

"Yameru!" Kit froze.

Master Splinter's walking stick tapped lightly as he approached the young mutants.

Kit quickly slid off of Michelangelo's carapace and stood in a rough form of the attention required of his students. She didn't seem to know whether actually standing at attention would be appropriate or not so she settled for something close. Mikey was on his feet as soon as Kit was off his shell. He didn't bother with the position of attention as he knew his sensei well enough to recognize this was not a situation which called for such formality. Raph emerged from his room and Leo came a little closer from where he'd been practicing. Donnie came closer too. The turtles could all see what Kit couldn't; currently Master Splinter was certainly in his teacher mode, but not the stern disciplinarian so much as the guiding mentor.

"I see you have a grudge against Michelangelo." Master Splinter noted.

Kit ducked her head, ears drooping sheepishly. "I wasn't going to actually punching him." She mumbled. "Just smack him good."

Master Splinter's head tilted curiously. "I presumed you have been thoroughly punished for similar matters in the past?" He asked. Rather than annoyed or angry, he remained curious, almost as if this were a normal lesson within his training sessions.

"Yes." Kit confessed, her head and ears ducking a little further. Deep in his throat, Master Splinter made a thoughtful noise. The turtles exchanged looks, the longer this conversation went on the more confused they became.

"Donatello." Master Splinter turned to the turtle in question. "What instigated this dispute?"

Donnie considered his answer carefully. "Well Sensei, Kit and I were already mad at Mikey, then he snuck into my lab and tore off the bandage I'd just applied to her shoulder." Master Splinter, the teacher of four skilled ninja and a grand master in his own right, flinched. Kit grumbled something and rubbed at her shoulder.

"I thought you were taking it off! I came back to say I was sorry and… yeah!" Mikey argued feebly under Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael, and Kit's accusing glares.

Master Splinter considered. "Perhaps it would be best if you two continued your dispute within the dojo?"

Mikey scratched the back of his head, "You mean spar? With _her_?"

Kit recovered from her shock at Master Splinter's suggestion and shot Mikey a warning glance. "What's wrong with that?" She demanded.

"But…" the turtle seemed to consider his answer for tact, then chose not to use any. "She's a girl." The air around Mikey turned a noxious shade of yellow under the venomous glare Kit threw at him. Donnie covered his eyes with one hand. Leo made a mental note to lecture Mikey on not saying things like that. Raph grinned; this was going to be fun.


	30. Chapter 29 Mortal Kombat

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter thirty; Mortal Kombat!

* * *

Mikey slid into a ready position that the turtles almost never used. He chose it mostly because it was showy. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you." He assured his opponent.

Kit stood across from him in the dojo. "Tha-anks." she drawled, then darted forward.

Michelangelo easily dodged her initial series of punches, then sidestepped an arcing kick aimed his head. When Kit turned to go after him again he persisted in his usual trick of dodging and stepping aside. Although he didn't indulge in the commentary he used in matches against Raph it was pretty much the same routine, complete with a smile letting everyone know just how pleased he was with himself. Unlike Raph, Kit soon realized that the offensive just wasn't going to take in this match and stopped chasing the turtle. She thought for a moment before stepping back, crossing her arms and watching Mikey.

"What, no more?" Mikey teased. Kit continued watching him. Her weight shifted onto one foot and she leaned into it, more bored than strategic. "You give up?" She didn't move. "Just going to stand there?"

Kit glanced at the floor. "I could sit." She suggested.

"Aw." Mikey whined.

To the side of the dojo Donnie noted quietly, "She may not be able to do too much running."

Raph and Leo glanced at him. "What do ya mean?" Raph asked.

"While Kit seems to have recovered fully from her infection, she may still be short on endurance activities such as running or long periods of exertion." Donnie explained. "Then again, we don't really know how much she could take beforehand so who's to tell?"

Meanwhile Mikey was still trying to goad Kit into taking the offensive. "So that's it? I thought we were going to duke it out!"

Kit shrugged, "All I see is your shell making tracks. I know it's important for ninja to be all sneaky and stuff, but I thought they actually did some fighting, too." She put her hand to her chin and looked thoughtful. "Come to think of it… I don't really remember hearing about ninja fighting other than in movies. Guess Hollywood gets another one wrong."

"What!" Mikey squawked, then launched into a long tirade about how wonderfully Hollywood had portrayed the mighty and amazing ninja. There was a lot of fist shaking and exaggerated gestures.

"I think this is the most talking I've seen in a sparring match." Leo noted. "Ever." The turtle in blue, ever the pinnacle of patience and focus, was looking as bored as Kit. Raph had his arms crossed in a much more aggressive stance than Kit did and looked ready to jump in and take over. Donnie was intrigued. Master Splinter merely observed.

"Seriously, do you do anything in a fight other than running or running your mouth?" Kit asked.

Mikey pouted, then resumed his stance. "Fine. Better put your guard up." He warned. Kit held up her hands and beckoned with her fingers.

The turtle hesitated another moment, then moved forward. "Oh come on." Raph grumbled. It was obvious Mikey still wasn't putting an effort in. Kit had time to roll her eyes before Michelangelo was close enough to actually strike her. Compared to his usual speed, Mikey's fist seemed to be moving through invisible molasses. The feline easily dodged, then responded with an elbow jab to the back of his shell when he had passed. The sound of the blow made Leo and Don flinch, but not for Mikey's sake. Kit made a highly amusing face involving both grimacing and crossing her eyes, she was cringing and it was obvious that despite her self control she wanted to grab for her hurting arm. Yet, when Mikey came back looking like he wanted to ask if she was okay she fired off a reverse kick that sent him stumbling backwards. By the time he'd recovered, so had she. Both adopted a ready stance and the previous air of boredom lifted. Mikey smirked and made for another punch, this one still not quite up to speed but much faster than before, Kit blocked it and returned with a palm strike which Mikey also blocked. Assured that the real fight had finally begun, Kit took the lead with a spin kick punctuated by a straight punch. The first Mikey dodged the second he blocked before trying a palm strike of his own. Their speed continued to pick up as they felt out each other's abilities and sought to see just how far this match could go.

Slowly, Kit's expression shifted from boredom, to focus, until finally a pleasant smirk emerged. Mikey seemed to feed off this switch as his own fighting started branching out from simple strikes and blocks. A high spin kick turned into a low sweep which continued into some kind of break dancing move which had tripped up his brothers a great deal, but Kit performed a rough back flip that took her out of reach. She landed in a crouch and attempted to launch herself at Mikey the way she'd done with Raph, only to be rewarded with a cheeky "Oley!" as she brushed past him and he spun off flamboyantly. Upon facing each other again Kit charged. Mikey crouched, changing the game with a teasing "Hey batter, batter, batter." At the last minute Kit changed her charge into a tumble, using her slight stature to roll cleanly under Mikey. Next thing he knew there was a mutant cat clinging onto his shell.

Mikey spun, trying to figure out what to do about this. None of his brothers had ever tried it and -although he'd considered it- Mikey had always been too big to go for it. "Hey!... You! No fair!" Kit laughed. Every time Mikey tried to reach behind him she moved her hands just out of the way. Finally he threw himself into a forward roll.

Kit hopped off, "No points for the bull." She announced. Mikey came up in a ready position and they both grinned with mischief and fun before rushing toward each other.

"Alright!" Donnie cheered, pleased with the show. Leo nodded, satisfied to finally see full proof of the hints he'd been picking up since first encountering Kit; she was good. Master Splinter nodded, coming to the same conclusion as his son. Raph grunted and rocked back slightly on his heels. Sure it was kinda cool, but he hade been hoping to see Mikey plastered on the floor by now.

Sure enough though, when Mikey finally started getting up towards the level of skill he and his brothers had passed just a few years ago, Kit started taking more and more the defense. Her defense was quite good; she seemed to have an endless ability to dodge and block not only standard attacks, but Mikey's fancier tricks too. But even that started falling behind and before too long Mikey got past her efforts to ward off a hit and landed a solid kick to her chest. Kit's smaller form was knocked clean off her feet. Mikey hadn't expected to hit yet and had put almost full strength into the kick, more than enough to send his fellow mutant flying back in a manner that resembled comical or cheesy movie fights. Kit hit the floor hard enough that she couldn't even gasp for breath. Mikey darted to her side, looking worried until he saw Kit was still smiling, though a little ruefully now that it was clear she'd lost.

Slowly Kit started breathing again and sat up. Mikey quickly offered a hand and helped her to her feet. When Kit had caught her breath enough she managed a short laugh. "That…" She panted, "Was a blast!"

From where he stood Master Splinter nodded as though coming to a conclusion.


	31. Chapter 30 Old Habits

Hiya! It's been a while. Since October I have graduated Basic Training and begun settling in at my Advanced Individual Training unit- where I will be training until at least May. Right now though I'm lucky enough to be on leave for Christmas! YAY!

A word in self defense, or character defense; in this chapter Mikey sort of narrates Kit as cooler than his brothers. I'm not saying Kit is cooler than the turtles because I am an awesome author, it's just that the 'new' has not worn off of Kit for Mikey… and considering Mikey's personality, Kit will be lucky if it ever does.

I do not own the TMNT, Kit is mine.

* * *

Chapter thirty; Old habits...

* * *

Michelangelo was in an exceptionally good mood. It had been just over a week since Raph had found Kit and brought her back to the lair. She was talking with everyone, participating in almost everything and even helping with the chores around the lair. It was like having another brother around except this brother was smaller, cooler, and would try to kill anyone who called her a boy.

After getting up and rolling out of bed Mikey decided he was in a good enough mood to make breakfast. He may or may not have gone overboard because when Leo finished his early morning session of independent training he came over and asked what the occasion for the near feast might be. Mikey couldn't remember anything important so he informed Leo in a rather important voice, "Dude, some old dead guy's birthday was today!" Some old dead guy was born every day, so that worked, didn't it?

Leo chuckled at the explanation, then sat down to help celebrate the life and times of 'some old dead guy'. He was finishing up a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, sausage, orange juice, milk and a banana when Raph stumbled out of his room and found the two of them laughing over something. Raph looked over the trays of food and asked, "Who's birthday?"

"Some old dead guy." Leo informed him as if only a fool could have forgotten. Raph took a moment to try to decide whether to be annoyed at Leo's attitude or just eat. The food won out and he sat down.

Leo had finished and gone to his room to hunt down a book to enjoy by the time Don finally ventured out of his room. Shortly thereafter Master Splinter joined his sons at the breakfast table. Mikey was overly please with himself that he was able to serve both of their drinks hot just as they sat down. "What's the celebration for?" Donnie asked, sipping his coffee.

"Some old dead guy." Raph muttered. He was still grouchy despite having most of his breakfast in his stomach and completely unaware of the odd look Master Splinter gave him. Had he noticed the look Raph might have realized that his brothers' weirdness had just roped him in for some history lessons the next time he found himself in trouble.

Master Splinter and Donatello were served breakfast. They spoke of a few topics of interest and after a while they finished their meal. Mikey gathered the dishes and Don offered to help. Typical, Mikey started the water running over the dishes and announced that he was going to check and see if Kit was awake and hungry, thus leaving the chore to Donnie.

Mikey grinned as he jogged up the fire escape and over to Kit's room. The door was open and Mikey hopped in without pausing to announce himself.

He froze as soon as he stepped inside and saw the room. The bed was loosely made; blankets pulled into position but not tucked in. The pillow was ruffled, but had not been slept on. Mikey frowned and stepped further into the room, his heart sinking. The room looked completely empty besides the bed. Wherever she'd gone she'd gone sometime last night and was likely long gone.

Admittedly, Mikey had known Kit had no plans to stay, despite his hinting and hopes. That didn't cheer him up any. He sighed and sat on the bed, sulking in his most mature fashion. After several minutes he stood up again and was about to leave when something made him turn and look past the foot of the bed.

* * *

The night air had been pleasantly cool; there was even a breeze that shifted the distinct 'city' smell Kit hadn't been able to avoid for the last few months. Overall she had been mostly comfortable since slipping out of the lair late the previous evening. A few hours of keeping up her brisk pace though, and she could feel a faint pull at her chest. Kit tried to shrug it off as the extra weight in her backpack, but she knew it was at least partially from being so sick. She hadn't bothered to really push her recovery in that area and now was feeling the consequences. She made a mental note to work on that, later.

That sign of strain hadn't stopped her from walking all night. Now the sun was sending warning rays of light over the city and a shift in the feel of the air announced that daybreak was almost at hand. Already traffic was picking up and from time to time Kit would self consciously pull the hood of her jacket down further over her face before returning her hand to it's pocket. Before long the streets would be filled with cars and people. A nervous glance at her bare feet made Kit pick up her pace. It was hard to believe nobody would notice them when the human traffic and sunlight increased.

Kit turned a corner and blinked. The buildings suddenly dropped away and the road she'd been following ended in a much larger road. In one direction the six lane street led back into the thickest part of the city. The other direction crossed over a large bridge extending from Manhattan Island to the mainland. When she'd come to New York City it had been stowed away in the back of a semi filled with mattresses, so she hadn't actually seen the bridges leading in and out of the city. So far she'd only really caught the faint scent of the ocean over and through the city's overbearing odor of exhaust, asphalt, humans, and sewer. For a moment Kit stared at the bridge, sniffing the salt from the air and listening to the distant sounds the water made as it interacted with the land and wind.

Then, she began walking again.

* * *

All I want for Christmas is some reviews! (Please? I've been very good this year!)


	32. Chapter 31 Can't

Don't own April, Master Splinter, or 'the guys'

* * *

Chapter thirty-one; Can't

* * *

April wove her way through the early morning traffic. She would have spoken against her charitable nature and getting caught in the earliest part of morning rush-hour -discernable from evening rush-hour only by the time of day- but she was curious about this particular quest. It was one she hadn't expected.

She found the street sign indicating she was at the proper corner and slowed against the flow of traffic until she pulled into a spot on the side of the road that was only unoccupied because it blocked an alley. Even then it was a lucky thing no one else had parked there. April killed the engine and climbed out of the van to look around. Hopefully she could find what she was looking for before a cop found the van.

The people passing by didn't fit what she was looking for. When April looked down the alley she'd blocked she could make out the back of a garbage truck moving down the alley emptying the dumpsters placed there by businesses. She even checked the nearest manhole cover but discovered that in this part of the city the sewer lids were bolted into place. Looking up revealed a few fire escapes, a couple of which sported flower boxes and clotheslines. One of the fire escapes was occupied by a young man gathering women's underwear off the line.

"Now where...?" April murmured. She stepped a little further out onto the sidewalk. The street sign she'd been told about was on her left and there was the bookstore, but was this really the right corner?

"Um... April?"

April spun around and discovered Kit as described over the phone; black hooded jacket, backpack and no shoes. "There you are, come on." She ushered Kit toward the van. Kit slid her pack off and settled it in her lap, then buckled her seat belt as April hurried around to the driver's side. Once they were inside and the engine started up again April asked curiously, "Where were you hiding?"

"Truck..." Kit muttered, tilting her head toward a ridiculously large truck with a boot on the wheel and tickets on the windshield. It didn't look the most secure place for a mutant to hide at all, especially not in broad daylight.

"Why there?" April couldn't help but ask.

"People everywhere else." the young mutant was still muttering, barely understandable. "... way too many people in this city." She released her backpack with one hand long enough to give the hood of her jacket another tug over her face before re-securing her grip on the lopsided pack.

Sitting as close as she was and looking carefully; April could barely make out a faint indication of Kit's short muzzle. For the most part Kit looked like any other sullen, withdrawn teenager. If it weren't for her bare feet she could easily have stayed out for the rest of the day without drawing too much attention. April turned her attention to the road and signaled that she wanted out. "So, how did you get all the way out here?" She asked, eying a furniture truck to see if it would let her through.

"I got lost." Yet another mumbled answer. This time she sounded positively embarrassed.

"You had to be pretty lost to end up this far from the turtles' lair." April replied with some humor.

The furniture truck did let her pass, but considering the slow pace of all the other vehicles it looked like the ride back would take some time. "Um... where is this?" Kit asked quietly, "As the crow flies, sort of?"

April cast a quick glance at Kit, "You're on the west side of Manhattan Island. Any further west and you'd be on the mainland, or swimming."

Kit slouched down even lower in her jacket, groaning. "Yeah... pretty lost." She agreed.

The van inched slowly along the road. They had gone about a city block in ten minutes before April glanced back over at the bag in Kit's hands. "You," She hesitated, then decided to take the plunge, "You weren't planning to leave New York?"

Kit glanced at April. In the dim shadows of the van April thought she could make out the faint glow of eyes just over the suggestion of Kit's short muzzle. "Leave? No... not uh... no." She shrugged. "I was just picking something up and got _really_ lost."

Curiosity nagged at April to ask what was in the bag but the protective way Kit handled it made the human think twice about asking. "So you've decided to stay with the guys?"

Without hesitating Kit answered, "I can't." Her tone was the same as if she were stating that the sky was blue or one and one made two.

"Why not?" Kit didn't reply. April waited a good two more blocks before repeating herself. "Why not? The guys enjoy having you around and Master Splinter told me himself that he would like you to stay."

Kit looked at April so suddenly that the hood of her jacket slid back enough for April to be able to see her major features. "Hahn?"

"Is it so hard to believe?"

The hood twitched as if something were moving underneath, probably the mutant's ears. "Have we met?" She asked, feigning amusement.

April chuckled. "Barely. Why? Is it so hard to believe about anybody wanting you to stick around?"

Before answering Kit gave the hood of her jacket another tug, pulling her features back into shadow. "Yeah." The quiet certainty made April frown. She was about to respond when a driver ran a red light, forcing her to break, hard. "Geh!" Kit grunted as her weight was thrown forward against the seat belt. She clutched fiercely at the bulky pack in her lap rather than bracing herself against the dash board.

Outside the van somebody had jumped out of their car and was yelling obscenities in another language, somebody from another car was yelling in another language. Whatever had happened didn't seem to have caused any damage, but the bilingual screaming match was effectively blocking traffic at the intersection. Kit noted this and sunk down in her seat. She almost seemed to be cringing away from the sunlight streaming through the windows.

April muttered something indiscrete under her breath and switched the van into park. A quick glance at the gas gauge and the mess in front of her prompted her to turn the ignition off, they were going to be here a while.

The shouting match continued for several minutes. Finally a mounted police officer arrived on scene and started issuing orders. Out of the corner of her eye, April saw Kit sit up to get a better view of the horse and cop. She was so intent on the sight she didn't realize her hood had slid back some, revealing a wistful smile. "Have you seen mounted police before?" April asked.

Kit nodded. "Yeah, we have a few back in my hometown, only in the summer though."

"You're planning on going back there?"

The mutant sat back in her seat again, her hood falling forward. "Can't. Way frickin' too dangerous."

April frowned, gripping the steering wheel and watching the two angry drivers return to their cars like a couple of boxers returning to their corners. Couldn't stay in New York, couldn't return to her hometown, but hadn't left New York when she had the chance. She talked like a wanderer, didn't act like it.

The mounted officer started directing traffic, April started the van and began moving with the flow. "So, you didn't really answer my question from earlier." April pressed, her tone gentle. "Why _can't_ you stay with the guys? They've been living down there for fifteen years. It may not be the ritz, but they have each other. And if anything happens you watch each other's backs, shells, you know what I mean."

"...can't." Kit muttered.

April slapped the steering wheel, angry. "Can't, can't, can't!" She repeated. "That's _not_ a reason! It's an excuse!"

Kit growled. "I know, I read the poster."

"Then tell me why you refuse to stay with the guys?"

"I just _can't_."

"Why?" April tore her eyes off the road and glared at the sullen figure beside her. "Do you hate them?"

"No!"

"Are you scared about living with other mutants?"

"Heck no!"

"Is somebody waiting for you?"

"... no." Not a lie, just a guilty hesitation.

April huffed and stared ahead, more focused on her thoughts than the traffic. After a minute she picked up on something and hit the turn signal. Kit was too unfamiliar with the city to object as April detoured well off the routes to either her place or the turtles' place. She drove several blocks and then pulled into a parking garage. "Better get comfortable." April instructed as she killed the engine. "We are going to talk."

* * *

Don't use the same word too much. I reached the end of this chapter and found myself staring at all the "can't" and wondering what the heck that word meant and why I'd used it so much. XD


	33. Chapter 32 Talk

Long delay is long. Anybody there?

Anyway, I debated for a while on whether to even write this chapter or jump to the next one. Finally I decided to put it out there, since it's the foundation of Kit's friendship with April and all.

* * *

Chapter 32; Talk

* * *

April watched patiently as Kit first tried the door handle, then reached to try and find the little stick for the lock. Finding it was broken off, she tried the handle again, rather desperately.

Once she had determined how trapped she was Kit pulled the hood of her jacket off and turned to April. "What did you want to talk about?" She asked skeptically.

"You. The guys. Back home, anything."

"I can't go back home, I'm not staying with the guys, I don't like being trapped. Any more questions or can we go now?" Kit growled. April frowned, glaring disapprovingly. Kit glared back, ice and fire in her gaze, but after a moment her expression softened and she looked away almost guiltily. "Fine. What?"

April didn't know why Kit broke eye contact with her so quickly, but she pressed on. "For starters; _why_ can't you go back home? What's back there that's so bad you had to leave and can't go back?"

Though there was nothing to see in the darkened parking garage; Kit glanced out the window as she collected her thoughts or debated something to herself. April waited until she was sure Kit was just ignoring her, but before she could repeat herself Kit said, "Promise me what gets said here stays here."

"I'm sorry?"

Kit turned back to April. Her eyes were hard and under the fur April could see her jaw was set. "I'm not saying another iword/i unless you promise it won't get back to the guys." After a brief hesitation she emphasized, "Or Master Splinter. Not one word."

April mentally sighed to herself –_more secrets, perfect_- then she nodded. "Okay. I promise: whatever gets said here won't get back to the guys, Master Splinter, or anyone else." The mutant eyed her for a moment, gauging her seriousness, then nodded, accepting the promise. Carefully April repeated, "So, why can't you go home?"

A little breath out, then a deep breath in. Kit stared at the dash of the van like she was reading a script there as she started speaking. "It's too dangerous." She began, then started filling in details. Sketchy details, but at least it was something. "I was still living with my mom and going to school when Jess found out about my –uh- 'hairy' little problem." She shrugged when she referred to her mutation. "It only came out at night and I could kind of pretend to forget it during the day, but she found out… and she stuck around anyway." There was still an air of awe in her voice when Kit reflected on that. Kit's ears drooped in shame as she continued. "Because of that she ended up getting shot, a bullet meant for me. If her family found out it would lead to cops, the cops could find the guys who did it, they could spill about me. The bullet just nicked her, but she still had to hide it from her family for weeks."

"And it only got worse. Staying human got harder and harder. When my tail showed up, I ran away from home. The more I tried to hide, the more people seemed to find me." Kit swallowed and shook her head. "A couple months before I decided to come to New York we found out about a poacher. At the same time; he found out about me." Kit shook her head, her voice got tight. "He wasn't the first, but he didn't just hunt for me, he went after my friends too. It didn't end well." Clutching the bag in her lap tightly, ears pinned flat, Kit grimaced, then took a breath. For a minute April was worried the mutant might be injured and she'd missed it, then Kit seemed to calm down, regain control.

Silence reigned for a minute.

Then two. Kit had clearly finished.

"I see." April finally said.

The quiet continued. A car drove through the garage behind them and Kit pulled her hood back up. April noted that it was a little warm in the van and cracked her window. Privately she was grateful for not having to deal with a layer of fur and an extra jacket. Once there was a little air circulating in the van she cautiously tried to start the conversation again.

"What about now? Why can't you stay with the guys? There's no promise of safety, you know that, but somehow I don't think your friends from before were raised to be ninja. Seems to me like this would be the perfect place to stay."

Kit gave April a sidelong glance from under her hood. "You're kidding, right? It was bad enough when I was on my own, but a group of mutants? If people went to that much trouble just trying to get me I can imagine what the guys are in for if they get discovered. The last thing they need is some amateur who can't cover her own tracks or defend herself against a couple of punks."

"I don't think five Purple Dragons can be written off as 'a couple of punks'." April noted. "You were out-numbered, that's why it's better to stay in a group. Don't you think?"

Kit shook her head. "Only if you can contribute to that group." She argued. "The only thing I'm good at is fighting, and I'm nowhere near the guys' level. I don't know diddly about the city!"

" 'diddly'?"

"I'm puny. Fully dressed and sopping wet I still don't hit a hundred pounds. And that whole 'getting real sick' thing? It's normal. I get sick _all the time_. My stomach's screwed up, I can't see straight half the time, I-" April put a hand over Kit's mouth. The mutant's eyes bulged in surprise, but she shut up.

"So what?" April asked. "They like having you around –even Raph- and if that's the only thing you can contribute, what's wrong with being friends with a bunch of great guys who don't have a lot of chances to make friends?" She slowly removed her hand. Kit stayed shut up. "I get the feeling friends are important to you, extremely important to you." Kit nodded slowly. "And part of the reason you're so determined to leave is because the guys are already important to you." A moment's hesitation, another slow nod. April noted the way Kit's ears lowered just a touch. And waited a moment to be sure her words sunk in.

"I promise, I won't say a word of this to anyone." April repeated. She adjusted her seat belt and turned the key in the ignition, trying to bring the van back to life again. "Listen, about all that happened to you before, if you need anyone to talk to, anytime… I make pretty good cookies."

Kit stayed quiet, but she nodded.


	34. Chapter 33 It's in the Bag

Let's see...

I don't own the turtles or April but Kit is mine... have a nice day and leave a comment or a review if you would.

* * *

Chapter 33

* * *

"Mikey, deal with it, she's gone. Again." Raph shrugged.

"She is _not_." Mikey snapped. "She left all of her things. Her clothes, toothbrush, combs, and this book!" As proof he held up a tattered old book she'd kept so carefully since her arrival.

"I know, I've seen the things. Mikey, they're crap! The clothes are rags, that toothbrush has seen better days and just look at that thing." Raph waved a hand at the book as if it held all the answers.

Don came up behind them and smacked Mikey upside the head before he took the book from his brother. Mikey gave it up without a challenge to either the book or the slap. Don had taken to random acts of violence against Mikey as punishment for the death of his microscope. "She didn't just run away this time! What if she's lost or something?" Michelangelo pressed on with his argument with Raph while Don carefully examined the book. Leo stood a little behind Raph with his thumbs tucked in his belt as he listened to the arguments and thought about the matter on his own.

"Why'd she leave in the first place then? Mike, stop dreamin'. She made it clear she'd be runnin' off again just as soon as she figured out where she'd run too. The cat's prob'ly on her way to Florida by now!"

"Not likely." Don spoke up. "This isn't just a book, it's a Bible. An old one, people don't throw these things away." He held up a worn envelope from inside. "And it's got a note she'd have to work to keep in it. I don't think she'd just leave this behind." Carefully he replaced the envelope in the book, then closed it. He punctuated his argument by slapping Mikey upside the head.

"If she ain't runnin' then where is she?" Raph demanded.

The doors of the mysterious stone elevator scraped open to reveal Kit and April standing there as if they'd been just waiting for their queue. "She's right there." Mikey announced smugly.

"April!" Donnie exclaimed. He reached over and slapped Mikey again. "Hi!"

April waved uncertainly. "He does that now. Mikey deserves it." Kit briefly explained the violence before stepping out of the elevator.

"Lassie! You came back!" Mikey cheered. He ran over and before Kit could avoid it he caught her up in a hug.

"Hey! Watch it!" Kit struggled to get free and checked the pack on her back. She seemed relieved to find it undamaged.

"Where were you?" Leo asked, looking to both April and Kit for an explanation.

April came up behind Kit and put a hand on the mutant's shoulder. Kit immediately looked very uncomfortable. "I kind of snuck out last night to get…" Absently Kit tucked a thumb under one of the straps of her backpack. "… something. I got lost. Really lost…"

"She called me this morning and asked for a ride back here." April added.

"…_really_ lost." Kit was still muttering.

"I picked her up over on the west side, practically had to fish her out of the water." The human finished.

"…not that lost." April smiled at Kit who tilted her head some to acknowledge that she saw the look. Raph grunted and Leo smiled as they both noted that the tension between Kit and April seemed to have eased. Donnie slapped Mikey upside the head.

"Did you run into any trouble?" Leo worried. "Purple Dragons or those other ninja?"

Kit shook her head. "No, nothing. It was pretty quiet."

Strategically moving away from Donatello, Mikey stepped closer to Kit. "You must be starving. How about some breakfast? Or lunch!"

Likewise, Kit strategically stepped further from Mikey, turning so that her pack was further still. "Thanks but I'm not really that hungry."

Sick of the shuffling around and cheap talk, Raph pointed at the bag Kit had been so carefully protecting. "Ya left yer junk here, so what's in the bag?"

Leo and Don both looked equally interested and from the look on her face, April had been hoping to find out for herself. "This… right." Kit set the backpack on the floor and unzipped it, then carefully pulled the flaps back to reveal the bag's precious cargo.

"A compound microscope." Donatello's voice was odd as he attempted to speak around a gasp. In a heartbeat he was crouched next to the pack examining the science tool. Somehow Kit managed to catch the Bible that he'd been holding before it hit the floor. The microscope sported binocular scopes with magnification lenses ranging from a basic 10X to an oil lens 400X. The cord for the lamp was coiled neatly around a built in hook and from the look of the device it was either little used or basically new.

"Where did you get that?" Leo asked; suspicious.

"New York State Academy of Scientific Endeavor and Thought." Kit stuck her tongue out at the name and shrugged. "The news said they got a big grant. Science geeks always buy more microscopes when they get money. I went to check it out and, sure enough, there they were; abandoned in a storage closet."

"So, you assumed they would never miss a several hundred dollar microscope and stole it?" Leo accused.

Kit held her book to her chest with one arm and tucked her free hand in her pocket. "Yep." She said, guiltless. Donnie seemed almost beyond himself as he carefully reached over and ran a hand over the neck of the microscope. "It was one of –like- fifty and it was stored in the back with a phonograph and some records. I don't think they'll miss it for a while. If they do, they'll probably write it off as student damages or something."

"You…" Donatello swallowed. He sounded as though he were causing himself physical pain just to speak. "You should," His voice cracked and he finished with a falsetto; "Take it back." He swallowed again.

Leo frowned at Don, looking concerned before turning back to Kit. He was about to agree with Donatello's pained suggestion but hesitated. Kit watched Don with one side of her mouth pulled back in an affectionate smile. Her ears weren't quite up to their usual erect height and her whiskers seemed to droop just enough to compare with the equally subtle droop to her eyelids. Kit had been up all night, lost in the city, hauling that microscope around. Now that the mission was accomplished she neither boasted her act nor sought out any more thanks than the pleasure of seeing Donatello's reaction.

"You should go to bed." It was a far cry from ordering her to return it, or continuing to lecture on theft. Donatello actually took his eyes off his new baby to stare at his brother. "I'll talk to Master Splinter about keeping the microscope."

Kit nodded. "Good idea… both of them." She took her hand from her pocket and held it up in a lazy wave. "'Night."

"Night." Raph and Mikey chorused, looking confused at the events they'd just witnessed.

"Morning." Leo replied.

Twisting a little at the waist, Kit looked at April. Her calm, contented expression turned to a nervous question.

April nodded, reassuring. Kit relaxed and turned back to Donatello. "I'll leave the backpack so you can move the microscope safely." She told him.

"…." Donnie continued his love affair with the microscope while Kit headed for her room.

As the cat headed to the stairs and climbed them to her room on the second level Leo moved a little closer to April. He waited until she'd disappeared into her room before asking, "What happened?"

April took her eyes off the same doorway Leo had been watching. "We talked. Broke the ice."

"About what?"

The redhead shrugged. "Girl stuff." She replied flippantly. Then, with a more serious tone she added, "And, um, she might be a little more open to sticking around. Just, give her some time to warm up to the idea."


	35. Chapter 34 Hook, line

Hey all! My life is a whole new high of crazy right now, so updates will stay rare. By now that's nothing new, so thank you to everyone who keeps holding on!

Okay, as a warning for this chapter; Master Splinter's instincts as a father and a teacher collide. Kit never stood a chance.

I do not own Master Splinter or the turtles.

* * *

Chapter 34; Hook, line...

* * *

A couple days had passed since Kit's night out. No one mentioned her staying. No one mentioned her leaving either.

Master Splinter entered the kitchen, intent on a fresh pot of tea, and discovered Kit in the kitchen. She was sipping a glass of water while eying a can of soda the way Michelangelo used to eye candy when he was forced to eat the more nourishing food his sensei served. "Good afternoon, Kitrian."

"Good evening, Master Splinter." Kit replied, tearing her gaze away from the soda. Less formally she added, "How's life treating you?"

Master Splinter smiled. "It treats me well." He flicked his eyes over to the stove. A kettle of water was already on the burner and warming up. "As do you, it seems."

Kit shrugged. "I heard you leave your room." She mumbled.

The comment was innocent enough, but Master Splinter's quarters were on the other side of the lair, past Michelangelo's video games and below where Donatello and Raphael were conducting repairs on an arch with a crumbling keystone. "You heard my door?"

Before answering, Kit gave her water a little whirl in the glass. Her ears moving very subtly as though listening to the sound in the glass. "Yes."

Master Splinter refrained from pursuing the subject. He had observed her behaving in the same manner on different occasions. While Kitrian seemed surprisingly comfortable with some aspects of being a mutant, with others she seemed self conscious or embarrassed. Recalling how his mutation had muted or changed his senses of scent and smell -some- while his understanding of the world increased, Master Splinter believed he could understand how Kitrian might feel. As he often did when his sons were struggling, Master Splinter felt a strong urge to set right, to make the way easier for another. He also understood the need to do so without making his intention obvious.

Admittedly, Master Splinter also enjoyed being underhanded for the better good; he was ninja, after all.

Moving to the cabinet where the tea supplies were kept, he offered, "Would you like a cup?"

Kit's nose twitched, though she resisted the urge to wrinkle it. "No, but thank you." She declined. Master Splinter nodded and set about preparing his own cup.

He hummed for a moment, just under his breath, considering his course of action. Once the cup was ready he set it on a tray with a small plate and a cookie Miss April had been good enough to provide. These cookies lacked the bitter, salty taste of preservatives that store bought cookies had which told him that Miss April was considerate and talented... which he already knew from experience.

"I seem to have a great deal of free time, now that my sons have become advanced in their training." He mused aloud. "I find that I have more time to myself than I do hobbies and interests with which to keep busy."

Kit smiled. "There's not exactly a lot to keep busy with." She agreed. Sitting in the kitchen, sipping water, wasn't what most people -or mutants- considered a stimulating pass time.

Master Splinter nodded. "Perhaps not. However, I never fully understood what humans did with their time." For a moment he seemed to consider that curiosity.

"Not much different than what's down here. Read, hobbies, fight with each other," With a smirk she added, "Sneak out without permission."

"Quite true." Master Splinter agreed, joining her in a light laugh. The water in the kettle steamed pleasantly, it would be ready soon. Feigning innocence far better than others might, he casually asked. "And yourself? How do you prefer pass time?"

With a shake of her head and a self derisive smile Kit told him, "Not very well." She admitted. "Sometimes I'd practice."

"Practice?" Master Splinter asked, as if his own highly sensitive ears hadn't allowed him to overhear his sons discussing this very topic.

Unaware of the old rat's duplicity, Kit tried to brush the subject off, unaware of the trap she was falling into. "Yeah. Used to take Karate. I'm not very good, but I try to keep it up."

"Karate?" The kettle began to whistle and Master Splinter took it off and began filling a teapot. "An honorable pass time." He nodded gravely. Without another word he finished arranging his tray. It was not until he was leaving the kitchen that he paused. "I may be a teacher of ninjitsu, but I am familiar with Karate as well as the other Japanese Martial Arts." He stated this as though an afterthought. "If you decide to continue your studies, I would be glad to instruct you."

"Wait... what?"

Master Splinter resumed his soft humming as he continued to his room.

He walked past Michelangelo playing his video games and yelling to his imaginary comrades to follow him.

He nodded to his sons when Donatello and Raphael paused in their work to greet him, then resumed their efforts to chisel out the old keystone.

And he smiled smugly when he heard Kit place her glass on the counter and leap off the stool to come running to his room.


End file.
